The Blood of Olympus: A Heroes of Olympus Fanfiction
by foreverskysong
Summary: Annabeth and Percy are finally out of Tartarus, and Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge are on their way to deliver the Athena Parthenos and hopefully stop the two camps from fighting. The demigods of the Argo II face different dangers, though, as they sail along the Greek coast through the Ionian Sea. Will they make it to Athens in time? Or will they be too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is my first time writing for anyone other than my sister, but I wanted to try it. Plus, I'm so frustrated about the long wait for Blood of Olympus to come out that I wanted to write me own as a way to distract myself. I know the first chapter is kinda short, but I wanted to get it posted. And as I said, it's my first time writing. Anyway, I probably won't post anything else until I get a few reviews, so PLEASE, please review!**

**Chapter I:**

_**Percy**_

The ship rocks gently on the waves, a soothing motion that threatens to lull Percy to sleep. He tries to push away his exhaustion, but he's fighting a losing battle. He hasn't slept in days. Every time he closes his eyes, visions of Damasen and Bob overtake his mind.

Annabeth doesn't seem to have any such problems. She has nightmares, but they don't prevent her from sleeping.

Percy's okay with that. Annabeth needs her rest.

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, then starts to walk around the deck of the ship in an effort to stay awake. Festus creaks and whirs quietly into the night. Leo, for once, isn't up here. He's downstairs, getting some much-deserved rest. Percy only wishes he could do the same.

He looks up at the stars, twinkling brightly far above. A lump builds in his throat as he remembers Bob's last request.

_"Tell the sun and the stars hello for me."_

Percy forces his emotions down. He can't afford to get distracted.

The past few days have been rather uneventful. The sea is quiet, and a strong wind speeds them on their way. They haven't been attacked, not once. That's part of why everyone except for Percy is asleep.

But Percy knows the good luck can't last for much longer. With them, it never does. So he keeps watch. He's pretty sure no one else knows he's awake, and he'd rather keep it that way. Otherwise they'd all insist on him going back to his bunk and getting some sleep. But he can't do that. He's to afraid of what he'll see if he closes his eyes. And if he can't sleep, he might as well be making himself useful.

A slight sound behind him causes him to turn.

"Percy? How long have you been up?" Annabeth asks, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Not long." He lies. Annabeth sees right through it. She walks up to him and wraps her arms around his neck, nestling her head against his chest. He hugs her back tightly, glad to have someone to hold on to.

"It's okay to sleep, Percy. No one will hold it against you if something happens." She says, her voice muffled.

"It's not that." He hesitates, unsure how to explain.

She looks up at me. "Dreams?"

He nods wordlessly. "I just can't get that place out of my head," he tells her, knowing she'll know exactly what place he means, "and Damasen, and Bob. And Tartarus. Especially Tartarus." His eyes are haunted as he confesses this.

Annabeth sighs softly. "I know, Percy. I know. But you aren't going to be any use to anyone if you don't sleep. And you haven't really had a real chance to sleep since before we fell. You need to rest."

"Yeah, I know. I guess you're right." He's silent for a few seconds, then he smiles. "At least I won't have to worry about being called lazy by Coach Hedge."

Annabeth smiles back at him and reaches up to brush a few stray strands of hair out of his face. "You won't get off that easily, Seaweed Brain. I'm still here to call you lazy."

Now he grins. "But you won't, because you'll be sleeping too. Right, Wise Girl?"

"Right." She agrees. "But I might call you lazy anyway. Now come on, Seaweed Brain, let's go get some sleep." She turns away to start walking back to her bunk, but Percy pulls her into a long, deep kiss that lasts far longer than it would have if Coach Hedge was still there.

When they part, Annabeth smiles up at him, and he looks down into her stormy grey eyes, feeling happy with her there by his side.

They walk, hand in hand, down to Annabeth's room, and there they lie on their backs and stare up at the ceiling. Annabeth cuddles close to Percy's side, but sleep doesn't come easily for either of them. They each listen to the other's quiet breathing, until the reassuring sound of it lulls them to sleep.

Annabeth falls asleep before him, but it isn't long before Percy finally gives in to the welcoming folds of darkness...

...and falls directly into a dream.

Percy now stands in the middle of a huge room, so dimly lit that even with his demigod powers, it's difficult for him to see the walls, and especially the ceiling, which arches high above his head.

He knows immediately that he's underwater. He can sense it. And he's obviously somewhere pretty deep. But why-

His thoughts are interrupted by a loud, booming, cruel voice with an unmistakeable tone of command. It comes from a shadowy throne that rests on a raised dais at the back of the enormous room, but Percy can't make out the figure that sits upon it.

"Thalassa! I thought you would never show up, my dear."

"Why wouldn't I, dear husband?" Percy turns towards the new voice. This time, he can see the person the voice belongs to. Sort of.

A woman with long, flowing hair and an elegant bearing glides toward the throne. More than that, he can't really tell, because her form keeps wavering. One minute, he can just see her, and the next, she disappears. It's almost as if she were made of water...Percy's eyes widen as he realizes that's exactly what it is.

"No reason. It's just been so long since you've visited." The man sounds almost bored as he says this.

"Well, you can hardly blame me. It's so dark and dreary down here. I much prefer it where it's light and colorful. Honestly, you really should see about getting some sort of light down here." Thalassa answers.

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, what new do you bring?" Asks the man.

"The demigods are traveling to Athens by way of the Ionian Sea. You were right when you said they wouldn't risk traveling across land anymore, even if they wouldn't technically be touching the ground."

"Yes, yes, well, I do know what I'm talking about, dearest. Anything else?"

"Ceto's asked permission to send one of her pets after them. It'd be the perfect distraction while we kidnapped the boy."

A chill runs through Percy as he hears her words. The demigods they're talking about can only mean everyone on the _Argo II_. And he ran into Ceto before, in Atlanta. But which boy on the ship are they talking about?

"Hm. Yes, it'd be a good distraction, but she'll have to make sure she restrains it from killing them. At least not all of them, and especially not the boy. He's mine."

"I'll make sure to tell her that. Or would you like me to just tell her no?"

"Tell her yes. But make sure she knows what I said. If she does anything to displease me, she'll be punished. That incident in Atlanta already put her on probation."

"I'll see to it that she understands. Now, if that's all, I'd best be going."

"That's all." At his words, the woman's form dissolves into bubbles. It's quiet for some time before the man suddenly speaks into the silent room.

"That's right, Poseidon. The Ionian is _my_ territory, and only I control it. Only two of those demigods are ever going to reach Athens, and then it will only be so their blood can wake Gaea once and for all. I'll take back what is rightfully mine and reclaim the sea. And I'll start by killing that upstart son of yours, Perseus Jackson!"

A thrill of fear races down Percy's spine. They were talking about him.

And that's all that he has time to think before the dream swirls away.

**So tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait. It's just-family holidays. They're a mess.**

**So, anyway, here's chapter two. Tell me what you think. **

**Chapter II:**

_**Percy**_

Percy bolts upright in bed, his senses tingling like crazy. His mind is still filled with the last few terrible moments of his dream, and it takes him several seconds to isolate the threat.

When he does, he jumps out of bed, jostling Annabeth, who groans groggily.

"Annabeth! Wake up! Something's going to attack the ship!" Her eyes pop open, and she starts getting up. Satisfied that she'll follow him soon enough, Percy races out of her room, his feet pounding on the stairs, yelling all the while for everyone to wake up.

As he runs, he tries to determine exactly what's happening. But as hard as he tries, he can only sense that something really big is headed straight for them.

He bursts out on deck, pulling Riptide from his pocket and uncapping it. His gleaming bronze sword appears in his hand, and he holds it out in front of him in a ready position as he races toward Festus. Briefly, he wonders why Festus didn't sound the alarm. But it isn't long before he moves on, more worried about what is presumably a monster that is swimming for the ship.

A flurry of footsteps distracts him as Annabeth, Leo, and Piper emerge onto the deck, weapons in hand.

"Where are the others?" Percy asks.

"They're coming." Annabeth answers. "What's going on? You said someone was going to attack the ship?"

"I said some_thing_, but close enough. There's something heading right for us. I don't know what it is. I can't quite get a read on it."

"Why didn't Festus sense it?" Piper asks, directing her question towards Leo. Leo opens his mouth to answer, but Percy is the one who speaks.

"Someone's hiding it from us." He tells them, knowing as he says it that it's the truth. "I can barely sense it. Normally, I'd be able to tell you what it is, how fast it's coming towards us, and how deep down it is. But something's blocking me. All I can tell is that it's coming."

Piper's face pales a bit. "Who would be powerful enough to do that?"

"I have no idea. But it would take a lot to do something like this." Percy decides not to tell them about his dream. Not yet, anyway. It'd just worry them. He also decides not to share his own suspicions about the person behind the attack. Because if he's right...the fight might be over before it's even begun.

Annabeth must see something of his thoughts in his face, because she narrows her eyes at him suspiciously and opens her mouth to ask a question. But before she has a chance to voice it, something hits the ship with enough force to knock them all off their feet.

"What was that?" Piper asks.

Percy stands and walks over to the railing, where he looks calmly down into the water. "That," he says, his voice grim, "would be our sea monster."

The water he's looking down at is deceptively calm, but just beneath the surface, Percy manages to glimpse the body of the sea monster as it snakes past. All he can tell, though, is that it's enormous.

He turns away from the railing and strides back towards the others, who are now back on their feet.

"Leo, do you have anything you'd like to try on this sea monster?" Percy asks him.

Leo gets a mischevious gleam in his eyes. A wicked grin lights up his face, and he raises his Wii remote. "Always." He answers.

As Leo starts on that, Percy turns to Annabeth and Piper.

"Do you guys have any idea what's taking the others so long?" He says.

"No." Piper tells him. "They should have been up here by now." Worry is evident in her tone.

"Why don't you go find them? Find out what's going on." Percy suggests. Piper shoots him a grateful look, then turns and heads back down the stairs.

He goes back to the railing to keep an eye on the sea monster, Annabeth a step behind him. She stands by his side, her hand on her sword, her gaze sweeping the horizon as Percy looks into the water, his eyes straining to catch another glimpse of the monster. The deck is almost completely silent, except for Leo's quiet muttering and the slap of the water against the ship. Even the wind has died down. The quiet is eerie.

"Why hasn't it attacked yet?" Percy says under his breath. Annabeth glances at him, but if she heard, she makes no comment.

His sense of the creature grows stronger. It's directly under the ship. But he can't tell what it's doing, and that bothers him to no end. He leans over the railing, peering intently into the deep water, every muscle in his body tensed. A sense of foreboding grows in the back of his mind, putting him even more on edge. His hand is still clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword, although it's lowered so the point rests on the deck by his feet.

"Maybe the monster will just pass us by." Annabeth suggests. Percy doesn't answer. He wants Annabeth to be right, but he doesn't think she is. And something about this whole thing doesn't feel right.

Suddenly, he knows what the monster is going to do. He doesn't know how he knows, but he doesn't question it. He backs away from the railing, pulling Annabeth with him, and yells, "Hit the deck!"

Almost before he's finished yelling, the sea monster lunges out of the water and across the ship, right in the place where he and Annabeth had been standing a moment before. It wraps its body around the ship three times in barely thirty seconds. Festus blows fire, but it seems to have no effect on the creature.

"How big is this thing?" Leo cries in dismay from where he's crouched. He starts crawling towards Percy and Annabeth, trying to reach them before the monster notices, but then it raises its head. Leo falls back, his mouth gaping open, and stares up at the thing in horror.

"Holy mother of Hera." He gasps. The creature's mouth is big enough that a horse and rider could ride through it completely unscathed. If they managed to avoid the teeth, that is. Rows of razor sharp serrated teeth, like a shark's, fill the monster's mouth, except that each tooth is the size of Percy's hand. Its back bristles with spikes, like a porcupine. The rest of it is covered with scales like a snake, although these look a good deal thicker. On either side of its monstrous head, a membrane-like flap of skin extends outwards, ribbed with spikes like the ones on its back. Eight beady eyes, varying in size, stare down at the deck.

The monster screams, a hoarse hissing sound, but no less terrifying for it. Its head weaves from side to side. The whole thing, not counting the weird spikes and the extra eyes, is like a giant water snake. It's even acting like one.

Percy shakes off the shock and stands, raising his sword. Annabeth does the same at his side. While the monster is focused on Leo, he walks forward and takes an experimental swing at its side. His sword skates off the scales, creating sparks. So, that's not going to work.

Percy glances back up at the monster's head. It doesn't seem to have even noticed his attack. It's still intent on Leo, who's frozen in place. Percy gets the idea that if Leo moves even an inch, the monster will attack.

"Hey, Annabeth, any ideas?" He asks.

"Other than the realization that its only weak spot is its head, and we're going to have to attack it? Not really." She admits. Percy sighs. He looks up at the creature's head, hovering far above them. The situation reminds him a bit of the Nemean lion, so long ago in the Smithsonian. Except that they don't really need the monster to open his mouth more. They just need him to move his head closer... Percy's eyes fall on Leo, still unmoving on the deck. A dangerous light comes on in his eyes that Annabeth recognizes all too well.

"Percy?" She asks. "You have an idea, don't you?"

"Something like one, yeah." He answers thoughtfully, his gaze switching back and forth from Leo to the monster's head and back again.

"I'm not going to like it, am I?" She says warily.

"Actually, Leo'll probably hate it more than you, but no, I don't think you're going to like it too much either." He tells her cheerfully. "We need the head to be closer before we can attack it, right?" He waits until she nods before continuing. "Well, if Leo moves, I have a feeling that the monster might just decide to move its head a little closer."

"Yeah, to eat him. How's that going to help anything?" Annabeth asks, not sure where he's going with this.

"If you're over there, the head will then be close enough for you to be able to attack it. And if you're close enough, you'll probably be able to stop it from eating Leo too." He adds, grinning.

Annabeth eyes him suspiciously. "And where will you be?"

Percy's grin widens. "I'll be over there." He points to the end of the nearest coil, closest to the creature's head, especially if it was to lower its head.

"And what will you be doing?"

He looks down at her, the grin vanishing. His voice is dead serious when he answers her. "I'll be waiting for the perfect oppurtunity to jump onto the back of the monster's head and kill the stupid thing."


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I already updated today, so this just goes to show how bored I am, but here's chapter three. I hope you like it.**

**Chapter III:**

_**Annabeth**_

"No way, Percy! Not happening. Just, no." Annabeth shakes her head vehemently. Percy touches the side of her face and looks into her eyes, smiling gently.

"Annabeth. It'll be fine. What could go wrong?" She opens her mouth to respond, but he covers it with his hand. "Don't answer that. I know it's a risk. But it's the only plan we've got, and Leo's about to be fish food, either way. No way can he sit still for very much longer." They both look at Leo. The strain of not moving shows on his face. Sweat is beading on his forehead. He looks constipated. At any other time, it would be a comical picture. Annabeth looks back at Percy.

"You really think you can do it?" She asks reluctantly.

"I know I can do it. After all, I've been through Tartarus, remember?" He smiles, but it's tinged with sadness this time.

"Yeah, but I was there with you. Remember?" Annabeth mocks. She kisses him, then pushes him on his way. "Better get going then. And be careful. I'd hate for you to be impaled on one of the monster's spikes, or for the monster to notice you before it has a chance to move its head closer."

"Geez, Annabeth." Percy grumbles good-naturedly. "Way to be encouraging." But he scrambles up onto the monster's back, carefully avoiding the spikes as he makes his way to the end. When he reaches it, he turns and gives Annabeth two thumbs up, motioning exaggeratedly for her to get going. She rolls her eyes at him, and shakes her head really slow to make sure he sees. Then she starts inching her way towards Leo, trying not to draw the monster's attention.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can just see Percy as he leans against his sword and fakes a yawn, scoffing at her slow pace. Annabeth has to resist the urge to roll her eyes again.

"You're such an idiot, Percy." She mutters under her breath instead. Even moving at a crawl, though, it isn't long before she judges herself close enough to Leo.

"Leo!" She hisses. He glances over at her, then mumbles out of the corner of his mouth, still not moving his body an inch.

"What? Can't you see I'm trying not to get turned into snake bait?"

"Obviously. That's why I'm here. Percy has a plan."

"Oh, goody. Percy has a plan. That in itself has danger written all over it. But I'm not seeing what that has to do with me." He says, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Don't be sarcastic, Leo." Annabeth chides. "And Percy's plans are usually pretty good. They just don't work out the way they're supposed to."

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Just listen, okay?" Annabeth pleads. When Leo doesn't answer, she quickly fills him in about the plan. The entire time, he shoots her looks that get continually more incredulous until his eyes are so wide they look like they're going to explode.

"What?! You expect me to do _what_?!" Leo exclaims. The monster rumbles deep in its throat, and he hastily lowers his voice. "No way. You see that thing? That monster right there, with the mouth full of razor sharp teeth? Yeah, that thing wants to kill me. Which is why I'm not moving, and which is also why _your plan is insane._"

"Exactly! It wants to eat you. So, if you move, it'll move its head closer, which will give us a chance to kill it. It's the only way." Leo looks pointedly away from her. "Come on, Leo! If you stand up and then jump out of the way as soon as you can, I'm sure you'll be fine. The thing can't possibly move _that_ fast." Leo still shows no sign of changing his mind. Annabeth softens her voice. "Please, Leo. For me." Leo looks at her, and she can finally see a grudging agreement in his eyes.

"Fine." He says. "But I'm warning you, if your plan goes wrong, and that thing eats me, I'm coming back from the grave to kill you."

Annabeth smiles warmly at him. "Leo, if you get eaten, you'll have to get in line behind the snake, because if the plan goes that wrong, I have the feeling none of us will be surviving for very much longer. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll all be fine." She adds hastily. Leo just stares at her for a moment. Then he sighs.

"Well, here goes nothing." And then he stands and immediately jumps sideways as the sea monster's head darts forward and hits the deck right where he was seconds ago. Annabeth swings her drakon bone sword at the thing's eyes, but the blade is deflected off of the bony crests and ridges that protect the creature's face. It blinks dazedly, then shakes its head, hissing loudly.

"Percy!" Annabeth yells. "Any day now would be good!" She watches out of the corner of her eye as he prepares himself to jump, but is forced to look away when the monster's head starts acting a little too lucid for her liking. She bashes it on the forehead with the pommel of her sword. It doesn't seem to have much effect, but it confuses the monster enough to give Percy the time he needs to jump.

Annabeth sees him land safely on the back of the creature's head, then has to jump to the side to avoid getting bitten in half. She rolls underneath the monster's first coil, where there's just enough room for someone to crawl, and listens in satisfaction as the monster makes a sound like a dieing cat when it accidentally bites its own body.

"Annabeth!" She hears Percy yelling for her when she doesn't come up again immediately.

"I'm fine!" She yells back. "I'm going to crawl over to the other side and attack it from there!"

"Okay, but hur-" His words are interrupted when he gives a strangled yelp.

"Percy!" Annabeth cries. For a scary moment, there's silence. Then she hears him uttering a string of obscenities that would make a pirate blush.

"I'm okay!" He shouts back to her when he finally stops cursing. "Get going! Maybe see if you can get downstairs and find out where the heck everyone else is!"

"Alright!" She starts crawling forward on hands and knees, trying to avoid touching the monster's body, which is covered in watery slime. Her hand slips in a puddle of salt water, and more of the same drips onto her head from the thing's body above her. But it doesn't suddenly tighten its coils and crush her, so that's a plus.

It only takes a few seconds before she's at the other side. When she sees the way to the bunks wide open, she feels a moment of concern for her friends. She'd been kind of hoping it was blocked, or something, because otherwise, why wouldn't they come?

She holds her sword up in front of her in case of an attack before walking down the hall. It's eerily quiet, with no sound other than the faint yells from Percy and Leo coming from above.

Jason's room is closest. The door is ajar. Annabeth takes a deep breath before ducking inside. What she sees makes her sigh deeply. She sheathes her sword and leans against the wall for a minute, looking at her friends in disbelief.

"You guys _really_ need to sort out your priorities." Jason is laying facedown on his bed, asleep. Piper is too, although she's not on the bed. She's sprawled on the floor. Annabeth comes to the conclusion, looking at Piper's uncomfortable position, that someone, probably the same person blocking the sonar, put them back to sleep. Or kept them asleep, anyway. At least she hopes that's the case.

"JASON!" She roars at him. He wakes with a start and falls out of bed, landing on Piper, who lets out a strangled cry.

"What-?" He starts confusedly.

"Okay, I really appreciate your faith in mine and Percy's abilities, but this is just ridiculous. I mean, I guess Leo is up there too, but really, I can't believe you guys are sleeping while we've been trying to kill a sea monster, which is still up there, by the way. And, Piper, didn't Percy ask you to find the others, not go back to sleep?" They don't answer. They just look more confused. "Okay, guys, I'll make it easier for you. Get your butts up there right now and help us fight the sea monster, or I will haunt you from the grave. Got it?"

They stand up. Jason retrieves his gladius from where it leans against the wall, though how it hasn't fallen, Annabeth doesn't know. Piper's already armed. They make their way out of the room and start up the stairs, but then Annabeth pauses and turns back to the hall. Piper and Jason send questioning looks her way, but she ignores them and breathes in a big breath.

"FRANK! HAZEL! Get up here NOW!" Piper and Jason both flinch at the force of her voice. She listens for a few seconds and is rewarded by two thumps and a yelp. Then she heads upstairs to save her boyfriend.

**Review, review, review! Seriously! I need ideas. My most recent stroke of luck isn't going to last forever.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter took way longer than it should have. Way, way longer. **

**I hate writer's block. **

**Every time I turned on my computer, I would just stare at the page. And the little cursor thingy would blink.**

**Blink. Blink. Blink.**

**It mocks me.**

**But I got it done, so yay!**

**Chapter IV**

_**Annabeth**_

Annabeth emerges on deck just in time to see Percy go flying through the air. Fortunately, he has a soft landing. Unfortunately, that soft landing is Annabeth.

"Oh, sorry, Annabeth. Didn't see you there." Percy stands and helps Annabeth to her feet. She's pretty sure she's going to have several new bruises tomorrow, but she can worry about that later.

"It's not going well, in case you couldn't tell. Any ideas?" Percy looks over her shoulder then and spots Jason, Piper, and the others. He nods to them. "Nice of you to finally join the party."

"Ignore them for now, Percy, we need to come up with a plan." A few sounds of protest behind her shows that the others object to being excluded, but Annabeth listens to her own advice and ignores them. "Where's Leo?"

Percy points. "He's over there, trying to blow something up." Annabeth sees him, working frantically at the controls, his attention completely absorbed by the task at hand. "Quick, duck!" Percy shoves Annabeth to the ground, just as the monster's head smashes into the wall overhead. It hisses like a boiling teapot and retreats. As it does, Annabeth notices something.

"Percy, where's your sword?" He glances down at his hand briefly, as if surprised to find that Riptide isn't there. Then he looks up and points at the monster's head.

"I stabbed the stupid thing in the roof of the mouth and my sword got stuck. I didn't have the time to pull it out before the monster shook me off, so I'm waiting for it to come back to my pocket, which will hopefully be soon."

"Your arm is bleeding." Annabeth tells him. He seems vaguely surprised about that.

"Must've happened when I stabbed it. One of the teeth probably just caught my arm when I pulled it out." He tears a strip of fabric from his shirt and wraps it clumsily around his arm as a makeshift bandage. Then he gets back to business. "What's the plan?"

"There isn't one." Annabeth answers grimly. "But since when does that matter? We'll figure something out as we go along, like we always do. We've already established that the thing's only vulnerable spot appears to be its head, so we'll target that and see if we get lucky." Annabeth hates not having a plan. But she knows that, with Percy, problems have a way of resolving themselves. Unless the problem was caused by Percy himself. That's a whole other kind of problem, though, so she's pretty sure they're safe.

He nods, smiling the same troublemaker smile Annabeth fell in love with. "Sounds good to me. And look, Riptide just returned to my pocket. Things are looking up already." And then he turns and jumps onto the monster's body, drawing Riptide as he goes. Annabeth turns behind her.

"You guys heard all that, right?" They all nod. They don't seem to mind the fact that she's giving orders, so she keeps doing it. "Try to confuse it. Split up and spread out. Make sure it knows you're there. Don't let it target any one person more than everyone else. Keep it busy while Percy and I try to think of a way to kill it."

Jason looks a little ashamed about the whole sleeping while a sea monster is attacking thing, but he leads everyone out onto the deck and starts hacking at the monster's side. Annabeth, meanwhile, looks for a way to get to Leo, and decides to crawl again. It might not be very dignified, but it's safer than running through a forest of spikes.

She reaches Leo without incident and taps him on the shoulder. He whirls around and nearly brains her with a hammer.

"Whoa, Leo, calm down! It's just me!" She holds up her hands in surrender.

"Don't sneak up on a guy like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack." He turns back to his controls. "I'm trying to find some sort of explosive we can use against it, but I don't have anything that I can aim with any kind of accuracy, so things could get a little dangerous. Barring that, I'm trying to find a way we can get the stupid son of a mother to let go of the ship."

"Are you having any luck?" Annabeth asks, hopeful.

"Not really. Although if all else fails, we could always just throw some Greek fire at its face like we did last time. But I don't like that plan very much, since the monster has itself wrapped around the ship." His hands are moving a mile a minute, but Annabeth doesn't have a clue what he's doing. It looks complicated.

"Hey, Leo!" Percy shouts to attract their attention. He's running back and forth across the coils, trying to evade the monster's mouth. "Could you maybe distract this thing?"

"How?" Leo yells back.

"I don't know!" Percy answers impatiently. "Chuck an explosive down its throat or something!"

"That would definitely distract it." Leo agrees, nodding his head thoughfully.

"Leo!" Percy screams. "Could you hurry up? The stupid thing just nearly bit my arm off!"

Annabeth raises an eyebrow. "You'd better hurry up, Leo. Or I think Percy might strangle you."

Leo shrugs. "Meh. He'd have to get away from the snake first."

"Leo!"

"Okay, okay, I'm on it. Geez." Annabeth leaves Leo then, looking for a way to help Percy. She stands next to Festus and watches him, figuring out the situation. She gets a little distracted watching Percy.

Water droplets fly from his messy black hair, probably from the water that's dripping off the monster. His sea-green eyes shine as he yells defiantly and slashes at the creature's nose, causing it to retreat. His expression is fierce as he rolls quickly to avoid the monster's teeth, and then jumps right back up to thrust at its eyes. As Annabeth watches, the creature opens its mouth to roar at Percy, and he stabs its tongue. The sound the monster makes is akin to nails on a chalkboard.

It retreats in a hurry, giving Percy a brief respite. He doesn't particularly look like he needs it, but he uses the time to rest, lowering his sword and leaning against the railing. He notices Annabeth watching him and smiles his sarcastic troublemaker smile, the one she loves so much. She blushes slightly as she realizes she's been staring at him for several minutes now, and turns to see what the others are doing.

Jason is slashing through the forest of spikes on the monster's back, his sword cutting through them easily. Piper is doing the same on the opposite side. Frank keeps changing form to attack the creature's impenetrable scales, trying to find an animal that can cut through them. Hazel is crawling underneath the thing's coils, presumably looking for weak spots.

Annabeth looks back at Percy. The monster still hasn't raised its head. She looks away again, this time looking for Leo, who isn't standing by the controls anymore.

"Annabeth!" She hears Percy yell her name.

_What now? _She thinks as she turns back to her left. Percy is racing towards her, running as fast as he can across the monster's coils while still being able to avoid the spikes. All traces of his earlier smile have disappeared. Now, his face is pale, his eyes filled with worry. He gestures wildly at her, but she has no clue what he's trying to tell her. Then, a sound behind her causes her to spin around and lift her sword high.

The monster's head is less than a meter away from her. Its mouth gapes open, strings of saliva stretching between its nasty yellow teeth. Its breath is horrible, like the smell of dead fish after they've lain in the sun all day. All eight of its red eyes glare down at Annabeth, the largest of which are the size of dinner plates.

Annabeth gasps before she can stop herself, but it's more in surprise than in fear. She's faced worse in Tartarus. Still, this could get ugly fast.

She finds herself backing up as the monster inches its head slowly forward, not as if it's scared, but as if it's gloating. Annabeth decides that she doesn't like that, and thrusts with her sword, this time with perfect aim.

The monster screeches in pain as one of its eyes goes dark. Then it narrows its remaining eyes at Annabeth angrily, and swings its head, knocking her to the ground and pinning her there.

Annabeth hears Percy's cry of anguish and looks for him, realizing that in her new position on the ground, she can see him where he stands on the monster's body. She knows he won't be able to reach her in time, and gropes with her fingers for her sword, which flew out of her hand when the monster knocked her down. She can't reach it. She looks up at the monster in horror, thinking, no way. No way is this the way she is going to die. She's been to Tartarus and back. This can't be how it ends.

But here she is, lying prone on the deck with the sea serpent's teeth inches from her neck. She closes her eyes, waiting for the fatal blow. But it doesn't come. She can still feel the monster's hot breath on her face, though, and she squeezes her eyes shut even tighter, sure that she's about to die.

But then, suddenly, the monster lets out such a horrible, high-pitched wail that Annabeth can't help but clap her hands to her ears in an effort to block out the sound. When she opens her eyes to see what's going on, the monster is no longer hovering over her. It's thrashing its head back and forth in the air, as if it's trying to shake something off. And Percy is kneeling on the monster's body, both hands wrapped around the hilt of his sword, which he somehow managed to stab deep into the monster's side, even with the impenetrable scaly armor. Blood that looks like dark, inky water is pouring from the wound.

Annabeth jumps to her feet, walking quickly towards Percy, who has also stood and is attempting to pull his sword from the sea serpent's body. He's not having much luck. It's really in there deep.

And then things go wrong-again.

The monster roars, managing to summon what will probably be its last burst of energy. It swings its head like a club and sends Percy flying for the second time. He lands on the deck, but his head hits the boards with a sickening crack, and although he starts getting up, he's too slow.

Annabeth sees what's going to happen a second too late to prevent it.

"Percy!" She screams in despair, as the monster lunges forward straight at him. Somehow, though, he manages to evade a direct hit, and the creature's head hits the boards at his feet. But it's not finished yet. It just manages to scrape its head sideways, crushing Percy against the railing and then sending him overboard.

The sea serpent then dissolves into a puddle of black water. It's dead.

But Percy is nowhere to be found.

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**I am disappointed in this chapter. I don't know why. I just am.**

**If anyone has any requests for POVs, just post it, and I'll see what I can do.**

**Just so you know, the next few chapters may or may not suck epicly. We will just have to wait and see.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm actually kind of surprised I managed to write this today. The brick wall is still there. But my fingers kind of took over and wrote something. It's a little short. Whether it's good or not is your opinion. **

**Chapter V**

_**Nico**_

Shadow-travel is second nature to Nico. It takes a lot of energy, but usually he gets where he wants to go. Now, though, he has to transport an enormous statue and two other people. Well, one other person and a satyr, anyway.

To make matters worse, his traveling companions aren't exactly friendly. The Roman, Reyna, is downright hostile, and Coach Hedge swings his baseball bat at anything that moves, screaming "DIE!"

So, yeah. Not exactly Nico's idea of fun. And as they travel through the shadow realm, he can literally feel the energy draining from his limbs.

Plus, his emotions aren't exactly stable. He's distracted. So he's a little surprised when they come out exactly where he was trying to go-a hilltop just outside of Rome.

Nico stumbles as soon as they arrive, exhausted. He would have fallen, too, but Reyna grabs his arm and steadies him. He looks into her face and is surprised to see concern in her eyes. He's too tired for any sort of lengthy conversation, but he managed to summon enough strength to say one word.

"Thanks." He whispers, his voice hoarse. Reyna only nods in response, but she helps him walk over to a nearby tree where he can rest.

He's pretty sure his eyes close before he touches the ground. If not, it's certainly a close-run thing. He's so tired he doesn't even dream, which is a miracle in its own rights. And when he wakes up, he smells _food_.

Reyna sees his eyes open and walks over.

"The satyr went and got us some food. Would you like some?" Her voice is steady, and her face doesn't reveal any of her emotions. She's excellent at hiding her feelings. _But so am I_, Nico thinks.

"Sure." He replies in an equally steady voice. "Why not?" He follows her over to the statue, where Coach Hedge has laid out the food. He eats his breakfast quickly, and then looks up at the sun, calculating. He's obviously slept an entire night, otherwise he wouldn't feel so refreshed, and judging from the position of the sun, it's only a few hours until noon.

Reyna stands and voices his own thoughts. "We should get moving soon. Are you ready to shadow-travel again?" She asks Nico.

He nods briefly. "Yeah, I'm good to go. We should probably travel while we can. You know, before any monsters attack." He stands too, and goes to wait in the statue's shadow. It isn't long before he's joined by Reyna and Coach Hedge, who's finishing up a burrito. He waits until they've both grabbed on to the ropes attached to the statue, and then he closes his eyes and concentrates. Cool shadows brush his face, and the voices whisper meaningless words into his ears. This time, his focus on their new location never wavers.

So, naturally, they land in the middle of a pack of monsters. Nico is so drained that he can barely stand, let alone draw his sword and fight, but he can at least figure out the situation.

When he does, he wishes he hadn't. They appeared in the midst of what looks to be at least a dozen dracaenae, along with five empousai, who seem to be leading the group, and several Cyclops. Luckily, though, they're all so confused by Nico's sudden appearance that all they can do is stare at them in shock. That most likely won't last for much longer, though.

Reyna seems to have the same thought. She suddenly whirls into action, lunging forward and stabbing a dracaenae in the heart. Before the rest can react, she's killed three more, and has already engaged a fifth. Then the others yell in anger and surge forward.

Coach Hedge chooses that moment to make his entrance. He leaps into the fray, yelling his favorite battle cry.

"DIE! DIE, you stupid monsters! Die!" He whacks an empousa with his baseball bat, and she explodes into powder all over her sisters.

Meanwhile, Reyna has almost finished with the dracaenae. There are only three of them left, and she's fighting all of them at once with no problem. But what she doesn't notice is the empousa that has circled behind her and is about to pounce.

Nico, knowing there's no way he'll be able to reach her in time, and that Coach Hedge is too far away, whispers a quick incantation, and a skeletal hand breaks through the ground right behind the empousa, grabbing her ankle and using it to pull itself the rest of the way out. It pulls a rib from beneath its tattered shirt and stabs the empousa with it, then proceeds to defend Reyna's back from the Cyclops that have managed to get past Coach Hedge.

Nico slides to the ground, his breath shallow. He's never felt so tired in his entire life. Everything seems muffled, as if there's a blanket wrapped around his head. He can barely hear, and black spots dance in front of his eyes. But he won't let himself pass out, not until he knows the others are safe. But the darkness is so welcoming. All he wants is to sink into blessed unconsciousness. Every breath hurts. He can't stop shaking. His powers take too much out of him.

He returns his attention back to the battle in front of him just in time to see Reyna slash the last Cyclops into dust. The skeleton he summoned has already sunk back into the ground. Coach Hedge is still swinging his baseball bat. He doesn't seem to have noticed that there's nothing to hit anymore.

Reyna seems to realize what bad shape Nico's in, and races toward him, her sword still drawn. But Nico's eyes are already closing.

And, of course, _now_ he has to dream.

_Camp Half-Blood lies before him in ruins. Bodies litter the ground. Nothing moves. Nico can feel the death in the air. _

_ Gaea's face swirls on the ground in front of him. "You will be too late. Already, the Romans are marching on the camp. Let them destroy each other, Nico. What have they ever done for you? Neither camp will ever accept you. You are an outcast. You don't belong anywhere. Your sisters, they each found a place to belong. Bianca, before her death, found a place with the Hunters. Hazel is one of the seven. But you. You will never find a place in the world. Not with the camps. Not with your father. And definitely not with Percy Jackson."_

_ Nico trembles. He wants to deny her words, to believe she's lying. But he's felt all of these things himself. And Percy...But he also already knew these things before. He's come to terms with them. And he has found a place with his father, in a way. None of this means that he wants the camps to destroy each other. They don't deserve that. And the gods are flawed. But they're family._

_ "No, Gaea." He answers. "I won't let that happen. We _will_ reach the camp on time. We will save them. And you won't stop us." And with that, he jumps forward and stomps on her face in the dust. _

The dream dissolves into darkness.

**Personally, I'm of the opinion that this chapter epicly sucks. It's mostly just a filler chapter, though, so I promise that the next ones will be better. Hopefully.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Guys, I am so so soooooo sorry. Our wi-fi went wacko and we had to turn it off for a while. But don't worry, I got a bunch of chapters written. I had a really weird dream and my imagination struck gold. Hopefully you'll like what I've come up with. In case you didn't know, dreams are where I generally get my really good ideas from. Kinda strange, but I'm proud of that fact. I love being abnormal. ;)**

**So, this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but after this, they start getting longer. So, yeah.**

**Chapter VI**

_**Nico**_

Nico groans. His head is one huge knot of pain. He tries to sit up, but his head spins dizzily, and he collapses back onto the ground. He decides to just lie there for a while, until he regains some of his strength.

He can hear people whispering close by, and assumes that Reyna and Coach Hedge are being quiet so they don't wake him, since they don't know he's awake. He doesn't mind that they haven't noticed. It gives him a few extra minutes of peace.

It isn't long before his energy starts to flood back, and he's once again capable of sitting up. He rests his elbows on his knees and holds his head in his hands. It's been a while since he's felt this drained. He'd forgotten how terrible it felt. _If this is anything like a hangover, _he thinks to himself, _I'm _never_ going to drink. _His mouth is dry and cottony and feels like something has been using it for a nest.

Reyna finally notices that he's awake, and walks over to him where he rests in the shadows.

"How are you feeling?" She asks, kneeling next to him. Nico doesn't want her pity. But he knows that they'll have to get along if this trip is going to be anything better than absolutely miserable.

"Fine, thanks." He says, the edge in his voice unmistakeable even to himself. His hostility doesn't seem to faze Reyna, though.

"Good. You should probably eat something, but then we need to get going. The satyr smells monsters." With that, she walks away. Nico feels a bit faint at the idea of shadow-traveling again so soon, but he knows it's necessary. He grabs a pomegranate from among the supplies he brought from the _Argo II_, and eats it quickly before joining the others.

Coach Hedge seems a bit tense. His grip on his baseball bat is so tight that his knuckles have turned white, and his nose keeps twitching. Reyna, on the other hand, seems pretty relaxed. Her sword is sheathed, and she's leaning back against the statue's base, eyes closed, as if she's taking a quick nap. Nico can see her eyes moving beneath her eyelids, though, and knows that she's completely focused on her surroundings.

"What do you guys want to do?" He asks. Reyna's eyes pop open, and she looks at him, a bit confused.

"What do you mean?" She says. Nico sighs inwardly. He doesn't want to be stuck here talking for ages. But he answers.

"Right now, as far as I can tell, we're somewhere in France, close to the coast. We have two options on how we get to camp." He explains. "One, we can go in a series of short jumps from here to the U.K., and then from the U.K. to Iceland, and so on. It'd be a bit cold, especially once we got to Greenland, but it'd probably be the safer route, although not faster."

Reyna thinks about this. He can see the wheels turning in her head. "What's the second option?"

"The second option would be faster, although definitely a bit more dangerous. We could go ahead and go from here to North America, crossing the ocean in one big jump. We'd probably end up in either Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, which are both close enough to New York that we could most likely get there in only one more jump."

Reyna looks wary. "Why would that be more dangerous?"

"The short jumps are hard enough. If I crossed the Atlantic in one big jump like that, I'd be incapable of shadow-traveling, or even just traveling, for several days." It's hard for Nico to admit his own shortcomings, but he knows it's true. He might pass out for a week, like he did when he took that accidental trip to China. Especially since this time, he's transporting two other people and a giant statue as well as himself. But that's the shorter route.

He can see Reyna's reluctance, and works to convince her. "It really would be shorter in the long run. And I could probably get away with only resting for one extra day than usual, although that might be dangerous. And we really need to hurry. Otherwise the Romans might attack before we have the chance to return the statue."

Reyna's expression hardens when he mentions the Romans. She is one of them, after all. But that doesn't seem to matter to them, considering the fact that they all followed Octavian, even when she gave them direct orders not to attack until she came back.

"You're right. I don't like it, but you're right. We need to get to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible. So I suppose we'll go with the second option. Are you sure you'll be alright?" She looks at Nico, her gaze questioning, probing, as if she can sense he's not telling her something.

She's right, he's not. He's not telling her just how difficult it will be to get them there without them ending up either in the ocean or somewhere far away from their destination. He's not telling her that using that much energy is very, very dangerous, and that it could incapacitate him for a lot longer than just a few days. But he doesn't really care about the difficulty. He knows he's being reckless, but he really doesn't care. He has to keep moving, or else thoughts of Percy will take over his mind.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He meets her eyes without difficulty, daring her to question him. She looks away first, although Nico is pretty sure it's not because she's particularly scared of him. She looks up at the Athena Parthenos, blinking at the brightness of the sun, and sighs deeply.

"Then I guess we'd better be going." She says. Coach Hedge hadn't really been paying much attention to the conversation, but at that, he springs to his feet so quickly that his baseball bat nearly hits Reyna in the face.

"Then what are we waiting for?" He bellows. "Let's go!" Nico wonders at his sudden enthusiasm, but decides not to dwell on it. He waits until Reyna has climbed to her feet and gotten a good hold on the ropes attached to the statue before grabbing on to them himself. By that time, Coach Hedge is stamping his hoof impatiently, one hand holding tight to his baseball bat, the other gripping the statue.

Nico takes a deep breath, summoning his strength. Then he smiles grimly.

"Here we go." He mutters under his breath. Then he closes his eyes and passes into the shadows. The familiar chill traces its way down his spine, and then they are on their way.

He miscalculates, just a bit, and they land in the shallow water just off the coast, in the shadows of the trees. But that's all Nico has the chance to register before he passes out.

**Okay, so this was kind of a filler chapter too, but next up is Leo, and then it's back to Percy for some super-exciting action. I'm just going to do a random order of POVs, in case you haven't noticed. Again, review, review, review! Constructive criticism is welcome, and encouragement is never ignored.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so, like I said, I got a bunch of chapters done. And since I've kept you all waiting, I figured I should go ahead and post two chapters today to make up for it. But don't get used to it. I'm not **_**that**_** good.**

**I like this chapter. It's just a tad mysterious, but I think you guys will like it too. **

**Chapter VII**

_**Leo**_

Leo felt sorry for Percy. He was still a little mad at the guy for abandoning Calypso, but he was going to be in sooo much trouble when he got back. Annabeth was going to kill him.

Annabeth was scary when she was mad. This time was no exception. At first, when Percy fell, she looked really fragile, as if she might break down and just start sobbing. But then she got this steely look in her eyes, and she straightened and then addressed the entire crew, who were all looking at her warily, as if afraid that she might blame them.

"When he gets back, I'm going to kill him." She said. Leo wanted to ask how she knew he would come back, but the look on her face scared him so much that he decided he better not. She looked around at each of them in turn, as if daring someone to contradict her, but no one would meet her gaze. Then she took charge of clean-up duty.

Normally, that was when Leo would have disappeared with some excuse about fixing something or other in the engine room. Anything really to avoid chores. He wanted his ship to be clean, but he didn't particularly like being the one to keep it that way. But with Annabeth in scary-angry mode, he figured it would be safer not to argue. So he helped mop up the nasty sea serpent juice all over the deck, and to put some of the boxes that had gotten knocked around back in their place. Then he headed back to the engine room, mostly as a way to avoid Annabeth.

It didn't work for long. She came down a few minutes after him, and now he feels all jittery and weird because she's standing in the doorway staring at him. With her arms crossed. Standing really still.

It's creeping him out.

Finally, she moves, even if it is only to lean against the door frame and cross her ankles.

"Anything I can help with?" She asks him. Leo is a bit surprised. He figured she blamed him for Percy getting tossed overboard, since he hadn't made the monster explode.

"Uh, not really." He answers awkwardly. Her face falls slightly, and Leo sees something in her eyes, a kind of brokenness, and realizes that she asked because she needs something to take her mind off of Percy. He's not sure how he knows, but once he realizes it, he knows he's right.

"Right now I'm working on a new upgrade for the ship." He gestures to the table in front of him, which is covered in blueprints. Annabeth walks over and studies his drawings intently. "I wanted to add something like the crane Archimedes designed to pluck enemy ships out of the water, along with a few new weapons."

Annabeth's eyes pore across the papers as if she's reading her favorite book. "These are good ideas, Leo. They could help a lot when we get to Athens."

"That's why I've been working so hard on them. I was hoping they could help us kick some serious giant booty." A smile plays at the corners of her lips, but then a shadow sweeps across her face and wipes away any sign of amusement. Leo's heart goes out to her. He knows how it feels to be apart from someone you care about.

She quickly hides her emotions behind a mask of calm, and sits down next to Leo, picking up an extra pencil.

"Could we add barbed tips to the jaws of the crane?" She asks, still looking at the blueprints. Once again, Leo is a little surprised.

"Yeah, I guess we could. But why would we want to?" He questions. She doesn't even look up.

"Because I have some vague idea that we're not really going to end up using this on enemy ships. But we could use it on other enemies, like the giants, and barbed tips would cause a bit more damage while at the same time making it harder for them to escape." She explains.

Leo nods, tapping his pencil against his chin thoughtfully. "Seems like a pretty good idea." He adds barbed tips to his drawing of the crane. Then he watches Annabeth, wondering if she'll come up with anything else. She wears a look of such intense concentration that Leo is a little afraid his drawings will catch fire. She flips to the next page.

"What is _that_?" She asks breathlessly, her eyes lit up in wonder. Leo is a bit embarassed. He didn't mean for anyone to see that until he'd had a chance to work on it more. Still, he's proud of the fact that he's managed to impress Annabeth.

"That," he answers, "is a little side project of mine. I was hoping it would make Queen Dirt Face take a step back."

"You just might manage to do that, Leo. This plan is _insane_." He hopes she means insane in a good way. But he shouldn't be worried. When Annabeth looks up, her eyes are shining with excitement. "We could really do it, Leo. We could really beat the giants." She looks back down at his blueprints. "I mean before I thought, maybe. _Maybe_ we could win. But _now._" Leo grins at her enthusiasm. But she isn't finished quite yet. "This...this is amazing. It's perfect. With this, we can destroy the giants so thoroughly they'll never be able to form again."

"I haven't really worked out all the kinks yet." Leo admits. It doesn't diminish Annabeth's excitement in the least. "And some of the things I'll be using are a little unpredictable. That's why I haven't really actually started on it."

"I'll help you." Annabeth offers. Leo hesitates. He's not really used to working closely with others on any of his side projects. But he knows that Annabeth's help could be invaluable.

"Okay." He agrees.

It's kind of funny watching Annabeth get excited. She starts bouncing her leg up and down, tapping her pencil on the table, acting totally ADHD for once. Usually Annabeth doesn't actually act ADHD. But looking at her now, as jittery and hyper as Leo usually is, you'd never know that. It isn't long before she starts to slow down again, though. Reading seems to have that sort of calming effect on her. She blows her blonde hair out of her face and leans closer over the table.

"Are you sure you want to use that?" She blurts suddenly. "You could blow the whole ship up." She doesn't really seem overly concerned about that fact, but Leo knows she wouldn't ask unless she was curious.

"I know. That's why I'm also adding that." He points to another part of the page. She studies it for a few seconds, then slowly nods.

"I suppose they would work pretty well on balancing each other out." She's quiet for a whole five seconds, and then she bursts out with another flood of questions. "Are you sure this is going to work? What if we accidentally cause the ship to explode? A lot of these materials are really delicate." She sounds a little nervous now.

"I'm never entirely sure my plans are going to work. And 'delicate' is an understatement. But I'm reasonable confident that we won't blow ourselves up. And if this works even to the smallest degree, defeating the giants will be a piece of cake." He reassures her. The room is completely silent except for the hum of the engine while she thinks this over. Then she sighs, looks back down at the blueprints, and scribbles something down.

"Then why don't we try this?" She says, sliding the paper over to Leo. He looks down at it, and adrenaline starts to course through his veins. A manic grin spreads slowly across his face.

"Now we're talking. Annabeth, that's genius." He's a little miffed that he didn't think of it himself, but nobody's perfect.

For the rest of the morning, Leo and Annabeth sit with their heads bent over the papers, occasionally scribbling something down or discussing new ideas in low tones. When it's time for lunch, Leo sends Annabeth on ahead. He wants a few minutes alone. Annabeth understands that, so she doesn't ask him any nosy questions. Leo appreciates that.

He stretches his arms over his head, groaning as his cramped muscles stretch. When he's finished stretching, he sits and stares into space for a few beats. Then he starts talking in low, dangerous tones to the empty room.

"You hear that, Dirt Face? We're gonna blast your giants all the way back to Tartarus. And there's nothing you can do to stop us."

After that, he stands and heads up the stairs to the mess hall. He's famished.

**What do you guys think Leo's little project is? Review, and tell me your guesses. SERIOUSLY. I wanna see if anyone gets it right. Probably not. Even I'm a little surprised at the scary things my mind can come up with.**


	8. Chapter 8

**We're back to Percy! I'm sorry there haven't been very many action chapters yet, but I promise you don't have to wait much longer.**

**Chapter VIII**

_**Percy**_

When Percy regains consciousness, his brain explodes into a supernova of pain. He nearly groans out loud, but stops himself just in time. He opens his eyes to darkness, but since he can sense the walls around him, he knows he's underwater. That realization just confuses him more. If he was underwater, he shouldn't have a headache. The water should have healed it by now.

He sits up, wincing, and gingerly probes the back of his head, where he finds a huge, painful knot on his skull. His ribs don't feel particularly whole either. He puts a hand out, using the wall to steady himself, and slides up to a standing position. His vision, as dark as it already is, blackens at the edges until he's practically blind, and he has to wait for the dizziness to fade, although black spots still dance across his line of sight.

"I hate concussions." He mutters to himself under his breath. He takes a shaky step forward, and another, using the wall to guide him. For a second, he's distracted by the texture of the wall, which is like rough, pitted sandstone. It feels kind of like coral, although Percy's never heard of black coral before. Besides, it feels too deep for any plants to be living here. Too dark.

He continues on for several meters, his legs gaining strength with every step. He comes to the conclusion that he's in a sort of hallway, presumably in an underwater building similar to his dad's palace, although this place definitely isn't as welcoming.

He pulls Riptide from his pocket, clutching the pen tightly. He doesn't uncap it yet, but its presence comforts him. He has a sneaking suspicion about where he is, and if he's right, he'll have need of a good weapon.

He moves slowly forward in the water, walking as he would if he were on land, trying not to alert any enemies to his presence. He counts his steps as he walks.

_One...two...three...four..._

He wonders, for a moment, what Annabeth is doing. He knows she wouldn't be resting, or sitting alone feeling sorry for herself. No, she's probably mad at him for getting pushed overboard by a sea monster's head, even if it wasn't technically his fault. She'd either be taking charge of a meeting in the mess hall, or working on a project with Leo.

_...ten...eleven...twelve..._

He feels a bit sorry for Annabeth. He's not entirely sure he can get out of this mess as easily as he has so many times before. But he has to try. For her.

_...twenty...twenty-one...twenty-two..._

When he reaches twenty-five steps, he suddenly emerges into an enormous room, with a high ceiling that arches high above his head. His stomach starts twisting itself in knots, because he recognizes the place from his dream. He looks towards the far end of the room, where, sure enough, a shadowy throne rests upon a raised dais. Except this time, he can see the figure that sits on the throne.

The man's hair is solid white, bright against the darkness of the room. His skin is deeply tanned. His eyes are like twin black holes. His skin is wrinkled and rough. He's one of the few immortals Percy has met that actually _looks_ old.

But then Percy is distracted from that fact by something else. The man's beard, solid stripes of black, white, and gray, starts moving. And Percy realizes that the man's beard is made of sea snakes.

He shudders inwardly, remembering Medusa and her sisters. But the man's eyes aren't turning him to stone, so they're probably not related. Probably.

Then the man stands, and Percy realizes he has bigger problems. The guy is huge. He has big, burly muscles like a wrestler's, and he looks like he's almost seven feet tall. As old as the guy looks, it's obvious he's in good shape. Maybe he goes to an underwater gym. Then he starts to speak, and his cold, cruel voice makes Percy's legs feel weak all over again.

"Welcome, Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon." He seems like he's going to say more, but it's like he's waiting for something. So Percy asks the question foremost in his mind, dreading the answer.

"Who are you?" The man laughs, but it isn't a sound of amusement.

"I am called Pontus." He answers, his face twisting into a grotesque imitation of a smile. Percy's blood runs cold at the name. He'd been expecting this, but it was no less terrifying to hear it confirmed.

"What do you want with me?" Percy asks, although he's pretty sure he already knows the answer, based on his dream. He's just trying to buy some time so he can come up with something that at least resembles a plan.

"Why, for you to join me, of course!" His answer surprises Percy a little, though he doesn't show it. "Gaea is, in a way, my sister, we were both born from Chaos, we were both among the first children. Tartarus, of course, is the eldest, and the closest to our father, besides Nyx, whose palace resides at the entrance to Chaos. Gaea, Ouranos, and I split up the world between us, but unlike the gods, we actually are what we rule. Gaea _is_ the earth. Ouranos _was _the sky. And I amthe sea!"

Percy doesn't really understand what all this has to do with him, but he listens anyway. He might learn something useful.

"The sea's ruler has changed many times. Oceanus and Poseidon are among the most prominent, the most remembered. But I was the first. And with Gaea's help, I will rise as ruler of the seas once more!"

_Ouch_, Percy thinks. _Must be hard having to admit you need your little sister's help_. But he doesn't say it out loud. He has the feeling that would be a very bad idea.

"And what better way to take back the sea from Poseidon than persuading his favorite son to fight against him? He is weak now, with his battling Greek and Roman sides. This is the time to strike! Fight with me, Perseus Jackson! Fight by my side to take back the seas from your father! When has he ever cared for you? Where was he when you fell into Tartarus? Fight with me, Perseus Jackson, and you will rule the seas with me."

_This guy is psycho. _Percy thinks. _My dad does care for me. Otherwise I would have been dead long before I fell into Tartarus. _

"Yeah, I don't think so." He says out loud. "My dad does care for me. You said it yourself, I'm his favorite son." He feels a bit weird saying that, as if he's bragging, but Poseidon once told him so, so he knows it's true. "And why would you need my help? I'm only a demigod."

"I don't _need_ your help. I have strength enough to crush that upstart sea god like a bug. But it would be fun to see the look on his face when he realizes his own son is fighting against him. As to the matter of you only being a demigod, you are much more than that. According to...a few reliable sources of mine...you are the most powerful demigod in centuries."

Percy isn't sure how he feels about that. His first feeling is one of shock, then disbelief. He can't be the most powerful demigod in centuries. He's just...Percy. There's nothing special about him. Most of what he's accomplished over the years has been luck. And he's always had help. No, he's sure that someone else is more powerful than him. Thalia. Or Jason. Maybe Nico. And he says so.

"What about Thalia and Jason Grace? They're children of Zeus-or Jupiter-and he's king of the gods." Pontus tries to smile again. It just makes him look constipated. His sea snake beard hisses with laughter at my question.

"The children of Zeus are powerful, it is true. But they both have separate powers. Together, maybe, they would be more powerful than you. But apart, no." He seems to anticipate my next question before I even ask it. "And don't even get me started on the children of Hades! They are nothing compared to the children of Zeus and Poseidon."

Percy knows that's not true. Nico is pretty powerful. Raising the dead is definitely a useful skill. And so is shadow-traveling. Hazel is powerful too, although she's a child of Pluto, not Hades, which makes more of a difference than you might think.

He decides he's getting tired of listening to this guy talk down his friends. And Pontus is most likely going to kill him anyway. Well, try to. Percy can be pretty hard to kill when he wants to. But the point is that there will be a fight at some point, and it might as well be now.

"I think you've got it wrong, Pontus. And I'm not going to fight my dad. He's the rightful ruler of the seas, and you're an idiot to think I would fight him." He uncaps Riptide, and the gleaming bronze blade springs to life in his hand.

Pontus narrows his eyes. "I see." He says. "Well then, I suppose I'll just have to kill you. But first..." He walks over to Percy, until they stand only a few feet apart. "I think a visit to my wife is in order."

His words are so unexpected that Percy doesn't even have time to react when Pontus grabs his arm. His grip is like iron, and Percy is about to try and twist away when a flurry of white bubbles flows in through the windows and surrounds them. There are so many of them that Percy can't see his own body, and his skin tingles where they touch him.

Then, suddenly, he feels like he's being turned inside out and then dissolved. He feels weightless, as if his molecules have suddenly turned to air. His sword is ripped from his hand, and Pontus' own hand disappears from his arm. He gets the sensation of movement, and he feels himself moving quickly upward and to the east.

**Yay, cliffhangers! Oh, and guys? Seriously, STOP BEING SILENT READERS! I love getting reviews. It makes me happy inside. And remember to tell me what you think Leo's super secret weapon is. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A second Percy chapter. I seem to be best at writing these. Anyway, I hope you like it.**

**Chapter IX**

_**Percy**_

The bubble thing feels a lot like shadow-traveling. It also reminds Percy of the time he, Grover, and Annabeth used pearls to escape the Underworld, although they each got one big bubble then, not a million bubbles all at once. Plus, he's pretty sure he still felt solid when he was in that bubble. Now he feels as if he's made of bubbles himself.

He still can't see anything through the bubbles, and that really bothers him. He'd like to at least be able to see where he's going.

After a few more minutes, he starts to slow down, and his form starts to solidify again. His feet set down on a solid surface, and he stumbles forward, shaky. He feels so _weird_. His head is spinning, and his whole body is like jelly. The bubbles dissipate, and his he's blinded, for a moment, by the unexpected brightness of the place he's in.

He's in another palace, except this one is made out of coral so bright it's practically neon. The water is much lighter here, obviously close to the surface, and there's plenty of light for plants to grow. The room he's in is almost identical to Pontus' throne room, but there are two thrones instead of one on the raised dais at the far end of the room, and he can actually see everything around him.

One of the thrones is solid black, with a tall, straight back and a hard seat that looks as uncomfortable as something you might find in the Fields of Punishment. The other is made of such bright, nauseatingly pink coral that it hurts Percy's eyes, and has a darker pink cushion on it.

Pontus, of course, is standing beside the black throne. But someone is already sitting on the pink throne. Sort of.

The woman from his dream is resting on the dark pink cushion, but her form seems a little more solid than it was then. There's some color to her skin, hair, and dress, though Percy can still see through her. She's like an underwater ghost.

"Pontus!" She exclaims in a high-pitched, girly voice that hurts Percy's ears. "I thought you'd never show up!" She stands and glides over to him, grabbing his shoulders and kissing him on both cheeks. "Sit, sit! Although how you can stand that horrid chair, I'll never understand." She practically forces Pontus onto his throne, which is kind of funny to watch, but then she floats over to Percy.

"Ah, the son of Poseidon! What a _handsome _boy!" And with that, she pinches his cheek with her see-through fingers. It feels like someone just pressed a block of ice against his face. Not cool. He leans away from her, but she's already turning back to Pontus.

"Has he agreed yet, dear? Is he going to help us?" The way she puts it, it sounds like they're asking Percy to save them from some horrible evil, not fight against his dad.

"No, my sweet, not yet. I was hoping you could help with that." He says, and it looks like he's actually making an attempt to be nice. But as soon as she turns away, clapping her hands in delight, he looks around distastefully at all the pink and glares at her back. Percy gets the feeling he doesn't love her as much as he'd have her believe.

Meanwhile, the woman (wasn't her name something like Molasses? No, Thalassa. That's it.) whirls back around to face Percy again. She siezes his hands in hers, her ice cold skin making him feel as if he just plunged his hands into a bucket of snow. He tries to pull away, but she has a surprisingly strong grip for someone who's made out of water.

"You simply _must_ help us, Perseus! The Ionian Sea is _such_ a horrid place! So _small_. But we've been here ever since Oceanus took over. They restricted us to only _one_ sea, the Ionian. They said it was a wonderful place to retire. But we used to control _all_ the seas. The water was our form, and that was fine with us. We didn't wish for a physical form, because we, unlike some, didn't much care for meddling. But now, the only way we can take back what is rightfully ours is if we have physical form." She waves towards her husband. "Pontus, as you can see, has already succeeded with that. And I get more solid every day!" By this point, she's so excited, she's squealing like a little girl. "But we don't just want to take back the seas. No, we want to humiliate those who took them from us. Which, I'm sorry to say, includes your father. Honestly, I can't believe you two are related, you seem like such a nice boy." Her eyes gaze directly into Percy's, and she looks like she actually does feel sorry for him, although it's a little hard to tell, what with her being mostly see-through and all. "We want to humiliate Oceanus as well, but Poseidon is top priority, since he's the current ruler of the seas. Will you help us, dearest Perseus? Will you help us regain our freedom?"

Her voice, which at first seemed so annoying, is so soft now, so sweet. She's such a nice woman, why shouldn't he help her? Looking into her eyes, which are so sad, so hopeful, how could he refuse? And he's so tired of the quest, he just wants to...Wait. Quest?

Annabeth! The fog lifts from his mind as soon as he thinks her name. Now he's mad at himself. He can't believe he almost gave into it. Thalassa must have some form of charmspeak. Sort of like Medusa.

He rips his hands free of her now soft grip and backs away from her so fast he nearly trips over his own feet.

"No." He says, shaking his head hard, both as a refusal and to further clear his mind. "I won't help you. And my name is _Percy_." Thalassa's initial reaction is shock. It must have been a while since anyone's managed to say no to her. Then her expression grows haughty and cold, and she glides back to her throne, her nose in the air.

Percy reaches into his pocket for Riptide, which should have returned by now. But to his surprise, it's not there.

"Ah, yes. Your sword." Pontus says. I look up, and he's holding Riptide, inspecting the blade. "_Anaklusmos_. My, my, I haven't heard that name in a while. I thought this sword was lost long ago. But then, I suppose that's part of its magic. It can't be lost." He smirks evilly. "Until now, that is. My magic will make sure your sword doesn't wander back to your pocket." He leans it against his throne, as if inviting me to try and get it back from him. But I'm not _that_ stupid. I stay put.

"Now," Pontus starts, "back to business." He leans forward. "Your friends will be passing overhead in about five minutes."

Percy recoils in surprise. Pontus grins cruelly. "Yes. Now, say an accident happened." As he talks, Thalassa leans her head out of one of the windows and whistles shrilly. "Say one of Thalassa's pets went out of control." A dark shape passes in front of several of the windows at once, casting shadows on the floor. "Her pets don't have to eat very often. Once every week keeps them happy. But this particular pet hasn't eaten in _two_ weeks. He's hungry. And in...four minutes, now...if that pet were to get loose, the nearest food would be that ship." Thalassa waves at the ceiling, and a hole opens in it, twice as big around as the sea serpent that knocked Percy overboard. He can see the sun shining above the surface, far enough away that he'd be dead before he got there if he tried to escape. "And demigod is one of a sea monster's favorite foods."

A huge shadow blocks out the sun as the monster enters the room through the ceiling. But enough light still enters through the windows that he can see what he's dealing with.

It's big enough that it only barely fits through the hole, and the head, as it comes in, is already a nightmare. Huge teeth as long as Percy's arm from elbow to fingertip fill its mouth. Each one is filed to an amazingly sharp point. A forked purple tongue flickers in and out. It only has two eyes, unlike the sea serpent, but they are each bigger than Percy's head, and they glow a radioactive green. The head, on the whole, is shaped like a very large, very angry horse head, except for the razor-sharp fin that starts halfway up its nose and runs all the way down to its tail.

The body, on the other hand, is a different matter altogether. Two fins, kind of like a turtle's, replace front legs. The edges of them gleam dully, and Percy gets the idea that they're both just as sharp as the monster's teeth and the fin that runs down its back. Its back legs resemble those of a dragon, with talons even longer than its teeth. But when the monster propels itself forward, the toes spread apart and show that there's thick webbing between them. It's completely covered in thick, hard scales.

But the last thing Percy notices is the worst. The whole thing, from head to tail, is pink. Not like the first sea monster that attacked the _Argo II, _the one that looked like a cross between a catfish and a shrimp, which was a light, faded pink. But bright, shiny hot pink. And to make it even worse, the poor creature looks like its been bedazzled. Gems, mostly rubies, have been wedged between every scale, so that when the light hits it, it sparkles like a fifty ton disco ball.

Percy, honestly, pities the creature more than he fears it. He doubts it was always this unnatural pink color, and he's definitely sure that those gems weren't there when it was born. Plus, the look in its eyes isn't really evil, or even angry. More like it's embarassed. And Percy really can't blame it.

Pontus' expression goes sour. He obviously wasn't expecting a pink sea monster either. But Thalassa doesn't seem to care.

"Behold, the terrifying Roseus!" She shouts, her voice echoing around the room.

Percy nearly laughs out loud. It takes all of his will to keep it inside. A sea monster named Roseus? Man, the poor thing almost has worse luck than him. Because he's already been colored pink, and that's bad enough. But to be named pink, in Latin? That just crosses a line. What line, Percy's not entirely sure. But it's out there somewhere. The sea monster glares down at Thalassa. He obviously hates her.

Percy tries to reach out to him, to see if he's found a kindred spirit. But that's how Thalassa is controlling the monster, as Percy finds out when he runs into a barrier of thoughts that effectively keeps him from communicating with it. Pontus interrupts the sudden awkward silence by clearing his throat.

"Yes, well. Don't let looks fool you, boy. This creature will easily kill your friends if we tell it to. And now, I believe you only have...What is it? Two minutes? Two minutes before your friends are directly overhead. Make up your mind, boy."

Percy closes his eyes. He hopes Pontus and Thalassa will see it as a sign of defeat, of resignation. But Percy is anything but defeated. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he prays.

_Dad, please. If you can help me in any way, I'd really appreciate it. I need a weapon, a way to fight Pontus. If you can't help me, I understand. I'm in the lair of two of your enemies. But at least find a way to help my friends. Please. _He thinks with all his heart, hoping that Poseidon can hear him, wherever he may be. It may be his only chance to save his friends.

**Hey, does anyone want Reyna's POV? Because I was thinking I'd probably just make it from Nico's POV when I traveled with them, but it might be cool to see her take on things. Just review if you would want that. Oh, and again, tell me what you guys think Leo's super secret weapon is.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I love this chapter. It's my favorite so far.**

**Chapter X**

_**Percy**_

Percy reopens his eyes to find both Pontus and Thalassa staring at him intently. Neither of them looks away, or even blinks. It starts to creep him out a little, and he really wants to look somewhere else. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the water start to shimmer, and solidify into a shape. He knows instantly that it's a gift from his dad, and realizes that he has to keep Pontus and Thalassa distracted until it has solidified completely.

"What would you want me to do, if I did agree?" He asks. They seem a bit taken aback by his question, but they answer.

"You'd lead the army, of course." Thalassa says.

"Why?" This time, his question isn't just a distraction. He's genuinely curious. Why wouldn't they lead the army themselves?

"Because, you have experience fighting, boy." Pontus answers. "And Poseidon wouldn't want to kill you, so he might hold back, which would give you-or someone else-the chance to destroy him. Also, why would we fight on the front lines when we have the oppurtunity to just sit back and relax?"

Percy is disgusted by them. By their laziness, and their egotistical, selfish ways. And by their tactics, which are underhanded and dirty. His anger builds, and he snatches his dad's gift out of the water next to him, where it's somehow managed to form without the others noticing.

Thalassa shrieks, and Pontus' face turns pale. Percy points his weapon at them, a natural, deadly extension of his arm. He spins it once through the water, which might be difficult for anyone else, especially because of its length, but is ridiculously easy for him.

"I won't fight my father. Not now, not ever. He's always cared for me. And _no one _threatens my friends." He says in a low, dangerous voice. And then he attacks, with both his powers and his body.

First, he yells in defiance, and sends a shockwave through the water that somehow shreds through Thalassa's mental control on the sea monster, stunning it, and knocks both Thalassa and Pontus into the wall. Then he uses the currents to propel him forward, raising his weapon high over his head as he goes.

Pontus rolls aside just before Percy can stab him. And then he whirls around, drawing his own weapon as he does so, a huge black broadsword that he wields easily. He strikes downward, and Percy spins out of the way just in time to avoid a fatal blow. But he misjudges the length of Pontus' sword, and the tip of the blade slashes across his back. Percy cries out as he feels white-hot pain burn a stripe across his back from his left shoulder to his right hip. But then his anger takes over, and the pain disappears. He turns to face Pontus once more, deflecting another strike with the handle of his weapon. And then he stabs his new trident straight through Pontus' heart. Blue-green light flickers along its length and into the man's chest, melting him into shadowy black water that quickly dissolves in the light.

He turns to Thalassa, who is cowering against the wall, still dazed from the shockwave. He holds his new toy loosely, but keeps it pointed threateningly at her. She whimpers in fear, her eyes wide, and Percy stops in surprise. He's not used to immortals being afraid of him. But it gives her time to regather her wits, and before he can start forward again, she starts to sing.

It sounds like there's more than one person singing, but that doesn't bother Percy. The sound is so beautiful, even though there aren't any words. The melodies overlap and compliment each other, and it makes Percy wonder why he's holding his trident. He should be peaceful, like the song. It's such a pretty sound. It fills his mind until all other thoughts are blotted out completely.

And then a voice croons into his mind, whispering to him gently, telling him he should drop his weapon. He should put down his trident. He should...he should get back to Annabeth.

And just like that, Thalassa's hold over him is broken once again. He stumbles backwards, just like the first time he broke her hold, and she stands, her once-beautiful features completely transformed.

Oh, Percy's sure she's still beautiful. But the expression on her face is so purely evil that it fills his veins with ice. She snarls, her eyes no longer clear. Now, they are as coal black as Pontus' were. Like two black holes. And they are filled with anger. Her lips peel back to reveal pointed teeth and a forked tongue like the sea monster's.

Her hands are curled into claws at her sides, and her hair swirls around her face like snakes, just completing the image of evil. But Percy doesn't care. She doesn't scare him anymore. She has no power over him. So he points his trident at her, energy and light once more crackling along its length.

She snarls again, and moves forward, but then a rumble comes from just behind and to the left of Percy, so loud that he can feel it in the soles of his feet. His eyes glance back, and he can't believe what he sees.

The sea monster, Roseus, has his teeth bared at his old mistress, and is growling menacingly. Percy's shockwave must have knocked the rubies loose, because most of them are lying on the floor beneath him. The thing that surprises Percy most, though, is that Roseus' razor-sharp fin is hovering over his head protectively.

Percy doesn't have time to wonder about it though. He turns back to Thalassa. She's staring in shock at her 'pet,' now turned against her. But her attention quickly snaps back to Percy when he levels his trident at her chest. Her eyes flick down to the weapon, then back up at Percy's face. Her eyes burn with hatred.

"You will regret this, Perseus Jackson! Pontus was the incarnation of the deep seas, of the darkness and shadows of the ocean. He could not touch your ship. But I am the incarnation of the water just under the surface, and I can and will come after you! Your friends will never be safe again!" She screeches at him. Then she dissolves into the water and shoots out of her coral palace, the force of her passing nearly causing Percy to fall back on his butt. She screams as she leaves, wailing like an angry banshee.

Percy stands his trident upright and leans against it, looking down the corridor after Thalassa.

"Women." He says, shaking his head. The sea monster rumbles in agreement, and Percy looks at him. They eye each other warily, and then Percy suddenly bursts out laughing. Roseus snorts in indignation, bobbing his head up and down just like a normal horse would. When Percy finally straightens, wiping his eyes, the sea monster's gaze is just a little hostile.

"I'm sorry, man, it's just..." Here he nearly starts laughing again, just thinking about it, "you have a ruby stuck on your forehead, and it's making you look like some sort of crazed unicorn." Roseus looks up, as if he could actually see it, and then shakes his giant head wildly, trying to get it off.

Percy can't help it. He starts laughing again, tears streaming from is eyes, until he's gasping for breath and his stomach hurts. By the time he's finished, Roseus has stopped shaking his head and is glaring at him again.

"Here, man, I'll get it for you." Percy leans his trident against the wall, both so that it's not in the way and to show Roseus that he doesn't mean him any harm. He goes up to the sea monster's head and climbs up, using his scales as hand and foot holds. He pries the ruby from where it's stuck between two scales and lets it float to the floor, where it lands with a clunk.

"There you go, um...Do you really want me to call you Roseus?" He asks, leaning to the side so he can look into the sea monster's eyes.

_I'm used to it by now. _Roseus projects his thoughts directly into Percy's head.

"Well, okay then. And by the way, thanks." He says, sliding down Roseus's nose and landing lightly on the ground. "I doubt that old hag would have left so easily if you hadn't stepped in."

_Don't mention it. You freed me from a lifetime of servitude. You have no idea how awful she is._ Percy looks pointedly at the rubies on the floor and then inspects the creature's pink scales critically.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea, actually." He says dryly. Roseus snorts, and then nuzzles Percy, which almost makes him fall over.

Percy's adrenaline starts to fade, even though he's in water, and the pain from his back nearly brings him to his knees. His head has stopped hurting though, which is a plus.

He raises his arm and gingerly feels under his shirt for the cut, where it starts on his left shoulder. When he touches it, he grunts with pain, barely managing to remain conscious, and pulls his hand back. Then he pulls off his shirt and looks at the enormous rip in it. He sighs.

"I liked this shirt." He complains to Roseus. Roseus sniffs the shirt and then jerks his head back, shaking his head. Percy tentatively sniffs it himself and then wrinkles his nose in disgust.

"Yeah, I guess it does kind of stink." He sighs again. "Oh well." He looks hopefully around the room, very aware of the deep cut in his back, along with the knowledge of the looks he would get if he returned to the _Argo II_ shirtless.

"Hey, Roseus? You wouldn't happen to know of anywhere I could find a new shirt, would you?" To his surprise, Roseus nods.

_Thalassa loves visitors. But she doesn't like it when people wear colors that clash with the room. She keeps all the closets and dressers in the guest rooms full. _

Oh, great, Percy thinks. I'll probably end up a hot pink silk dress shirt. But he follows Roseus down the enormous corridor after retrieving both Riptide and the trident.

In the first guest room they come to, the clothes are for a girl. Same in the second. Percy starts to worry a little. Not about clothes, but about the time. The _Argo II _probably already passed overhead. Percy's not really worried about that. But if he doesn't hurry up, the ship might get to far away for him to be able to sense it, which he can't do while he's in the palace, for some reason.

He shouldn't have worried. In the third guest room, after digging to the bottom of the very last drawer, he manages to find a plain light blue T-shirt that doesn't look too bad. But then, when he goes to put it on, he remembers that he's still bleeding, and it'll soak through the shirt if he puts it on. So then he has to go to the infirmary, although why Thalassa would have one of those in her palace is beyond him. There he finds some cotton bandages and medical tape that'll do the job just fine, and, using both hands and a mirror-along with his teeth-he somehow manages to cover his wound. He knows it won't last for very long, though, and that he needs ambrosia and nectar to heal it before he passes out from blood loss. He knows he's been trailing blood since the throne room. He could see it in the water. So, yeah, not good.

He quickly puts on the shirt and asks Roseus to show him the fastest way out. They go back to the throne room. Apparently the ceiling is one of only two ways in or out. As Percy is getting ready to swim up, he notices Roseus has a sad look in his eyes. He gets the sense that the creature doesn't have any idea what he's going to do next.

"Hey, Roseus." He jerks his head up at his name. "Do you want to come with me?" Percy gestures to the ceiling. "I know it might not be your idea of fun to follow around a ship full of demigods, but you'll get plenty of free meals. Monsters always hang around us, but none of them are anywhere near as big as you. You could keep them away from us, while at the same time you'll have enough food to last you for ages. And I doubt Thalassa will come after us any time soon, but if she does, then I'll be close by to keep her from using her mind against you again."

Percy's basically babbling now. He realizes that he doesn't really want to have to leave Roseus. It's been a long time since he's come across a friendly monster. Too long. And now he's gotten attached to the big guy.

Roseus doesn't move. He just stares at Percy as if he's grown a second head. Percy's heart sinks. He'd been hoping he could convince him. But then Roseus lets out a joyful whinny and noses Percy again, actually knocking him down this time.

_I would love to come with you, friend. _He says, his radioactive green eyes shining even brighter. Percy grins, and climbs onto Roseus' back, between one of the spikes, at Roseus' insistence.

And then the two new friends swim as fast as they can towards the sun.

**Roseus is my baby. I love him. He sprang fully-formed from my thoughts. Funny what my imagination can come up with. ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter's a little short, but I figured that was okay, since last chapter was a little longer than normal.**

**Happy Reading!**

**Chapter XI**

_**Piper**_

Piper screams when the sea monster emerges from the water. Festus breathes fire and sounds the alarm as soon as she does. But then Percy waves from his spot on the monster's back and calls to her.

"Relax! I'm friendly!" And then he grins mischeviously at her.

Piper feels as if she's about to faint. Only Percy would show up on a sea monster. She almost laughs, but then she remembers how worried Annabeth is, and that sobers her up immediately. Festus turns off the alarm, but by then most of the others are already on their way up the stairs.

"Annabeth is going to kill you, you know." She yells to Percy. His grin only widens.

"I know." He replies cheerily. The sea monster he's riding moves closer to the ship. Water droplets on its scales catch the sunlight and sparkle like gems. Percy, of course, is perfectly dry, although Piper's pretty sure that he's wearing a different shirt than he was when he fell.

Piper turns to see what's taking the others so long and nearly runs into Jason. He grabs her shoulders to steady her and looks her over for injuries.

"What's wrong, Pipes? Why'd you scream?" The concern in his voice warms Piper's heart. She smiles at him before explaining.

"I screamed because Percy finally showed up." The confusion is clear in Jason's eyes, so she points to the sea monster and watches as his eyes widen and his mouth gapes open.

"I can see why you screamed." He finally says. Then Frank and Hazel show up, and Piper starts to feel a little amused at how everyone reacts.

Then Leo arrives.

"What in the name of-" He starts, and then stops in his tracks when he notices Percy and the sea monster, now right next to the ship. Then he grins, although Piper isn't entirely sure that it's genuine. "Percy! Have you been spending this entire time playing with ponies?" He calls teasingly. The sea monster snorts in indignation. Exactly like a pony.

Percy just grins back. "Yeah, I figured I deserved some time off." Then he talks to the entire group. "This is Roseus."

"_Pink?_" Jason asks incredulously. Percy shrugs.

"Suits him, don't you think?" Piper has to agree. She's never seen any living creature that was that particular shade of pink.

Percy leans to the side and looks into Roseus' eye. "What color were you originally, anyway?" The monster rumbles unintelligably in response, but Percy seems to understand. He nods his head thoughtfully before addressing Roseus again. "Yeah, blue would have looked a lot better. Especially with your radioactive green eyes, and all." Then he looks up and seems to realize everyone's staring at him. He shrugs it off and scans the group, presumably looking for a certain blonde-haired, grey-eyed girl who hasn't yet showed up.

"Where's Annabeth?" He asks, his smile fading. Piper hurries to reassure him.

"Don't worry, she's fine. Nothing much has happened while you've been gone. I think she's been in the engine room with Leo, mostly." She looks pointedly at Leo, who throws his hands into the air in exasperation at her glare.

"Okay, okay! I'll get her up here. Jeesh." Then he walks over to his controls and hits the intercom button. "Hey, Annabeth, you'd better get up here." Then he walks back to the group.

"Geez, Leo, you're gonna make her think somebody got hurt." Percy teases. Then he seems to decide that meeting Annabeth would be better if he was on the deck. He stands on Roseus' back and walks up his neck, jumping lightly from the top of the monster's head and onto the deck.

At that exact moment, Annabeth bursts through the doorway and immediately freezes, a lot like Leo did. She stares at Percy's face with expressionless eyes for several seconds, until he starts to fidget nervously, and then she blinks and walks quickly forward.

Percy grins in relief. It doesn't fade in the least when Annabeth punches him in the arm-hard-and slaps her other hand against his chest.

"Perseus Jackson!" She yells. "How dare you scare me like that? How dare you?!" Percy wraps an arm around her.

"I missed you too, Annabeth." He says. Then he pulls her in for a kiss. The tension in Annabeth's shoulders disappears, and she leans into Percy, deepening the kiss. Frank, Hazel, and Jason look away in embarassment. Leo just rolls his eyes. Piper feels wistful. Their love is so strong. She wishes she and Jason had that.

Annabeth finally pulls away, trying to hide her smile. "You're still in big trouble, Seaweed Brain."

Piper doesn't believe her, and it's obvious Percy doesn't either, because he just grins again. He does that a lot.

"Whatever you say, Wise Girl." He says.

Leo clears his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Okay, now that the two lovebirds have gotten that out of the way, I think I'm right in saying that most of us are curious about how Percy found the pony monster." He jerks his thumb at Roseus, who growls. "So I suggest we all go to the mess hall, and Percy can tell his story there."

"Why do we have to go to the mess hall?" Piper asks. She doesn't particularly care, she just wants to annoy Leo. He's like a brother to her.

"Because I'm hungry. And I'm sure Percy is too, after his adventure." He answers, definitely annoyed.

"Starving." Percy says. He looks at the sea monster. "Roseus, you can go ahead back into the water while we're downstairs. But first, let me introduce you to everyone." He points to each of us in turn as he names us. "That's Piper, Jason, Frank, Hazel, and Leo. And this is Annabeth." He looks lovingly back down at his girlfriend, but is distracted again when Roseus rumbles something to him.

"What?" Roseus repeats himself, glaring at Leo. "Oh, no, he's not." Percy says, smirking. It's obvious to everyone that whatever Roseus said was less than complimentary, and Leo glares at Percy. But Percy ignores him and starts for the stairs, pulling Annabeth along with him. As soon as Percy turns away, Roseus sinks beneath the waves, barely even causing a ripple. Everyone looks at each other. Then they all stampede to be the first down the stairs. They all really want to hear what happened to him.

Piper's no exception. But she hangs back, watching the others make total fools of themselves. They're like little kids. Jason notices her hesitation and waits with her. When everyone has disappeared down the stairs, he opens his mouth, most likely to ask her why she stayed behind, but Piper silences him with a kiss.

When she pulls back, they're both a little breathless, and Jason smiles down at her.

"What was that for?" He asks.

"That," she answers, smiling back, "was for being worried about me." His smile grows even more warm and gentle.

"Ah, Pipes. Everyone was. How could they not be, you being as great as you are?" Piper studies his face for any sign that he's teasing and finds none. That's one of the things she likes about Jason. Unlike Percy, you can always tell whether he's serious or not. And he almost always means what he says.

Piper holds his hand tightly and turns to the stairs. "Come on." She says. "Let's get down to the mess hall before they start without us."

**Just a short little filler chapter, basically. Some Jasper for you all. Because everyone knows you always need some fluff.**


	12. Chapter 12

**My first Reyna chapter! I hope you all like it.**

**Chapter XII**

_**Reyna**_

As soon as they land, Nico falls into the water, unconscious. Reyna quickly walks over to him and struggles to lift him up and keep his face clear of the water. His skin, which is always deathly pale, is so white it looks almost green. His breathing is shallow and labored, and Reyna knows immediately that he wasn't exaggerating about the difficulty of the trip. Not that she ever doubted him in the first place.

She looks around at her surroundings, still struggling to support Nico's weight. He's not particularly heavy, but it's still hard to hold him up.

They landed in the shallow water just off the coast, in the shadows of a forest of tall pines. A short strip of rocky beach separates the trees from the ocean. They appear to be in a sort of bay, with craggy cliffs to their left, pine trees in front of them and to the right, and the ocean behind them. Coach Hedge is staring at the trees, chewing absentmindedly on the end of his bat for no apparent reason.

"Coach Hedge!" Reyna calls. "I could use some help over here." She feels silly calling him coach. But she feels silly asking a faun for help in the first place, so what the heck. He looks over at her and seems to notice her difficulties for the first time. He trots through the water, splashing salt water in Reyna's face, but then he takes Nico's other side and they manage to carry him to the beach. They sit down on the rocks, looking at the Athena Parthenos where it stands in the water, the waves lapping at its base. The light of the setting sun just touches it over the tops of the trees, lighting up the goddess's serene face and making her look even more eerily life-like.

Reyna looks away, instead scanning their surroundings for anything that could be a threat. Nothing. Besides the plants, they appear to be the only living things on the beach. She sighs and looks down at Nico's prone form beside her. For some reason, she feels a strange protectiveness towards him.

"Coach-" She stops and sighs again. She really feels so silly calling him that. She decides to ask a different question. "What is your real name?"

He looks at her in surprise. But he seems to sense why she asks, because he doesn't question her.

"Gleeson." He says.

"Well, Gleeson, do you have any idea how we can get the Athena Parthenos onto dry ground?" He thinks about it for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes at the statue.

"We might be able to move it on our own. It isn't as heavy as it looks. But I don't see the point. It's not as if the water's dangerous."

"We should move it anyway. We don't want something to happen to it just because we were too lazy to move it. Besides, if it's supposed to be the only thing that can save the camps, I'd prefer it if it was on dry ground, where we can protect it more easily." She explains. He nods.

"Makes sense. Alright, cupcake, let's move a statue." He hops to his feet and wades into the water. Reyna glares at his back. She doesn't appreciate being called 'cupcake.' But it isn't long before she follows him.

"Grab a rope." She says, tossing him one. He narrows his eyes at her tone, but picks up the rope and gets ready to pull. The icy water raises goose bumps on her arms, and it takes all her willpower to keep her teeth from chattering. She focuses intently on the task at hand in order to keep her mind off the cold. She grabs as many of the loose ropes that she can reach and uses her full body weight to drag the statue towards her. It grinds against the rocks, and Reyna winces, both at the sound and at the thought that they may have damaged a statue that's over two thousand years old. But she keeps going, gently pulling the statue to the rocky beach, careful not to accidentally pull it onto its side. The base scrapes against the rocky sand, but it's actually a lot lighter than she'd originally thought. So it doesn't take too long for them to get it to the shore, especially since they weren't that far from it in the first place.

They've just collapsed onto the sand after untangling themselves from the ropes when an eerie howl cuts through the silence, sending a chill down Reyna's spine. Then another joins in, and another, until at least half a dozen howls rise into the night. Reyna draws her sword, standing.

"Hellhounds." She says, her voice low. Gleeson nods.

"They can probably sense the Athena Parthenos' magic. It has a very powerful aura, in case you haven't noticed." He casually rests his baseball bat against a boulder. Reyna glances at the statue. She's noticed, alright. The thing radiates so much magic, it makes her feel small and insignificant. She stands for several more minutes, scanning the forest again and again, sure that a pack of hellhounds will bound out of it at any second. Finally, she sits back down on the hard ground, though she remains tense and keeps her sword out.

"This is going to be a long night." She mutters, more to herself than anyone else. Gleeson doesn't even look up. Nico's still lying on the ground, completely oblivious, his chest slowly rising and falling with his breathing. Reyna looks up at the sky, which is quickly growing dark. She wishes they could start a fire, but knows that with the hellhounds already close by, it'd be like sending up a flare to every monster within a hundred mile radius. She resigns herself to a miserable night, shivering in her wet clothes. She leans back, her armor scraping against the ground, and uses her pack as a pillow. She lets go of her sword, but keeps it in easy reach.

The stars come out, shining bright and cold far above. Reyna watches them, tracing the patterns of constellations with her eyes. A shooting star burns a trail across the sky, and Reyna closes her eyes to make a wish. On this mission, she needs all the luck she can get.

_Let us reach the camp safely, in time to restore peace between the Romans and the Greeks. Give us strength to reach the end of our journey. _Then she opens her eyes and once again looks up at the stars, where they keep vigilant watch over the night.

She just lays there, listening to Nico's quiet breathing, thinking about New Rome. She wonders what kind of welcome awaits her once they reach Camp Half-Blood. The Greeks probably won't care for her much, but what about the Romans? She broke one of their oldest laws when she traveled to the Ancient Lands. Octavian has taken over as praetor. The legions follow him now. They might very well be against Reyna when she gets back.

She's lost nearly everything. First Jason returns with a new, _Greek_ girlfriend and then leaves on a quest to Greece. Then she has to give up her position as senior officer to chase after them. And to top it all off, she was forced to put her pegasus, Scipio, out of his misery when they finally reached Greece. She has never had close friends, but she once thought that maybe her and Jason...but no, that was not meant to be. And now she is alone.

She sighs and turns onto her side, where she can't see the stars anymore. She clutches the grip of her sword, and closes her eyes to rest.

_Maybe we _can_ make it to the camp safely. _She's had her doubts. But now it seems they might just make it. She can worry about the rest once they get there.

She really shouldn't have said anything. Even if it was technically just in her head, she should have known better than to tempt the Fates.

Gleeson straightens suddenly, his nose twitching. His face has gone pale, and he looks scared for what must be the first time.

"What is it?" Reyna asks, sitting up.

"Monsters. A lot of them. We need to move. _Now._" Reyna glances at Nico. There's no way he would be able to shadow-travel, even if they could wake him up. And they can't move the statue very far without him.

"We'll have to split up." She says, her voice grim. "And we'll have to leave the statue here for now." She has to raise her voice over Gleeson's sounds of protest. "If we don't move now, they'll kill us, or at least capture us, at the very least. And we won't get very far with that statue." She tells the satyr, her face set determinedly. "I'll take Nico. You go towards the cliffs and then head into the forest. We'll go the other way."

Gleeson looks at her, his face just visible in the light of the moon. But her tone brooks no argument, and he helps her drape Nico's arm around her shoulders before heading off in the direction she specified. Reyna watches him leave, satisfied. Then she starts walking along the tree line, one arm around Nico's waist and the other holding his arm in place. In order to support his weight, she has to sheath her sword, which she's not happy about. But hopefully the powerful aura of the statue will distract the monsters, whatever they may be, long enough to allow them to reach somewhere safe. Then, when Nico's fully recovered, they can come back for the Athena Parthenos.

She steals one last look at the statue, standing tall and regal underneath the stars, the light of the moon lighting up her face almost as well as the sun did. It seems to Reyna that she's staring down at her in disapproval. But Reyna turns away and keeps going until she reaches the forest, where she takes a second to rest. Then she plunges into the trees and is swallowed by the shadows.

**I've reached over 1500 views! I'm so happy. I know it's not really that many, you know, since their are millions of people in the U.S. alone, but I feel so giddy thinking that many people have read my story. Happiness! Thanks for reading my story!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I love your guys' reviews. Always so encouraging. Really, though, I won't get mad if you throw some constructive criticism in there too. Tell me what you guys want from the story. Ideas, suggestions, advice. Whatever. And remember, REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY. So, review, review, review.**

**Chapter XIII**

_**Reyna**_

It seems to Reyna that Nico grows heavier with every step. Her breath comes in loud gasps now, only half an hour after she first plunged into the woods. The smell of pine is all around her, blocking the scent of everything else, and hopefully helping to hide them as well. The fallen pine needles are slippery underfoot, which might make it hard to run if she has to. But Reyna is pretty sure that if she needs to run, it will already be too late.

As Reyna walks-well, stumbles-through the trees, she ponders her newfound protectiveness of Nico. She's never felt any sort of comradeship towards him before. And yet now, suddenly, she feels she would give her life to protect him. She glances over at his face, so pale and haunted. Maybe she feels this way towards him because he seems to have just as bad luck as she does, if not worse. Reyna has given up so much in her life, and when she finally found a place as praetor, she ended up having to give that up too. And she's never really had friends. She's always been alone. And so is Nico.

He's always been an outcast, never accepted in either of the camps. He doesn't really have any friends either, although Reyna would bet that there are plenty of people who would fight to protect him. Percy, for example. And his half-sister, Hazel. But he's always mysterious, never allowing anyone to really get to know him. He's closed himself off from the world, built walls to protect himself. And even though with Nico, it's by choice, it's still similar enough to Reyna's life to make her feel as if she might know him a little better than some.

A howl rips through the night, much too close for Reyna's liking. She hurries faster, trying to find a place where they can hide, or at least a place she can easily defend. There isn't much vegetation beneath the trees, though, probably due to the pine needles that cover the ground. She can hear something moving closer, its footsteps muffled on the carpet of pine needles, but still loud enough for her to hear. She knows that if whatever it is reaches her, she'll have to put Nico down and fight, putting both of them in more danger. And then she gets lucky.

She stumbles across the roots of a fallen tree, and when she studies it, she discovers that a small sort of cave was created when the roots ripped free of the ground. It's hardly big enough for one person, let alone two, but she can at least hide Nico there so he can rest in safety while she and Gleeson run around being chased by monsters.

She carefully lowers him to the ground, and then goes about the difficult task of getting him into the cave while he's unconscious. By the time she's done, she's sweating in earnest, even in the chilly air, and her hands are covered in dirt. But Nico is mostly hidden beneath the roots of the tree. You can only see him if you lean down and push some of the roots out of the way. Of course, it helps that he's wearing all black.

Reyna worries about the fact that pretty much all monsters have a really strong sense of smell, especially when it comes to demigods. Nico, being a child of the Big Three, is powerful enough that, even with the smell of underground, and then the smell of pine over that, the monsters might still be able to smell him. She doesn't want to leave him behind. But she knows that if she continues the way she has been, carrying Nico, they won't last the night.

A twig snaps behind her. She whirls around, already drawing her sword, to find herself facing an enormous hellhound. The red eyes gleam with hatred, foam dripping from black lips. Its fur stands on end down its spine. It stalks toward her, growling, baring needle-sharp teeth. Reyna watches it warily, waiting for it to make its move. She stands confidently, her sword loose in her grip. She balances on the balls of her feet, ready for anything.

When the hellhound lunges, she thrusts her sword into its face and watches as it disentegrates into a pile of dust. She wonders-and hopes-if the aura of death in the clearing will help hide Nico's scent from any other monsters. She glances one more time at the tangle of roots where Nico lies hidden. And then she walks briskly into the trees.

She's sure Nico will be fine. He said he might only need one extra day of rest. It's maybe been an hour since they first got here. So only 47 more hours to go before he could be ready to shadow-travel again. Reyna smiles grimly to herself. She'll be lucky if she even lasts one more hour, let alone 47. If Gleeson was afraid of the monsters who were heading towards them, there had to have been a lot. Still, Gaea might not want them killed. It's possible she'll still try to recruit them. Not that she'll be successful, but it could buy them some time. Although, if they're captured, they would have to count on Nico to free them, and it might be a little too much to ask of one son of Hades who's just shadow-traveled halfway across the world in one trip. It's their only chance, though.

Reyna starts calculating how much time she has before another monster finds her. She guesses that the monsters' leader, whoever he-or she-may be, would have divided them into groups. That way, they could cover more ground. She might be able to handle four or five monsters on her own, even simultaneously, but she shudders at her chances with a larger group. Of course, she's assuming that the leader is actually relatively intelligent, which most monsters don't seem to be, but Gaea doesn't seem stupid to her. So Gaea probably wouldn't put an idiot in charge.

The time she has depends on several different factors. The size of the island they're located on, for example. But that also depends on whether they're in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland, and she can't remember Nico telling her which one he'd chosen. And from what she remembers from her geography lessons, they look pretty similar. It also depends on how large a group of monsters there was in the first place, and how many groups that was divided in to. Reyna guesses there was a group of at least fifty monsters in the beginning, although it was most likely more, considering Gleeson's reaction. So maybe sixty, sixty-five. Best case scenario, there's maybe thirteen groups of five monsters searching for her, Nico, and Gleeson. Worst case scenario, which would be a hundred or more monsters, there would be twenty groups of five monsters. And all that is assuming that they split up into groups of five. It would make more sense for them to do that, though. Small groups make less noise, and the more groups there are, the faster the prey will be found.

The calculations ease her mind. She's always loved math. It provides her with cold, hard facts that don't continuously change and confuse her. Like people. Math has always been easier for her than reading. The numbers calm her, relax her so that she can concentrate. When she was younger, she used to do long division in her head whenever she was scared. She still does sometimes, in times of great stress. Like when she's dealing with Octavian.

Suddenly, for no reason whatsoever, she remembers talking with Annabeth during the picnic. Teasing Percy, laughing with each other. Reyna almost felt like she belonged. Perhaps, given time, she and Annabeth could become friends...She sees so much of herself in Annabeth. They're so similar, it can be frightening at times. Reyna is Roman, and Annabeth is Greek. But essentially, they're the same. They both worry endlessly about anything and everything that could go wrong. They worry for the safety of others. But they also both understand the importance of keeping their own worries and concerns hidden behind a mask of courage.

A sound. Reyna's eyes immediately turn to the trees in front of her and slightly to the left. Nothing. But then someone steps out from behind one of the pines and directly into her path.

"Hello, my dear Roman. Gaea told me you'd come."

The man standing before her had curly brown hair and a long, thick beard. His face was thin and cruel, and his dark eyes glinted with evilness. He was only a few inches taller than Reyna, but considerably broader, with big muscular arms and legs and a slight beer belly.

"Who are you?" Reyna asks, keeping her voice calm and her face expressionless.

"My name is Sinis, but you might also know me as the Pine-Bender." He says, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile.

Reyna knows immediately who he is. Remembering his story, she has to make an effort to keep her lip from curling in disgust.

Sinis was a bandit that Theseus met on the road. He would kill his victims by asking them to help him bend a pine down and then releasing it, sending them flying high into the air. The fall back to earth would kill them. Or he would tie them between two bent-down pines and then release the pines, tearing his victims apart. Reyna's heard it both ways. Theseus eventually killed him by turning his own trick back on him.

"I know you. Another mortal who returned through the Doors of Death, I suppose. Theseus is the one who killed you, is he not?"

The man's smile disappears. His eyes blaze with hatred. "Yes. Theseus is the one who killed me. But he is gone now, and I am here. So it doesn't matter, does it? Which means you won't mind if we don't talk about him, right?"

Reyna doesn't answer him. She just looks him up and down again, analyzing the fastest way to kill him. She can't overpower him, as Theseus did, he's too strong for that. But perhaps she can trick him. Before she can come up with anything, though, he starts talking again.

"It's a shame Gaea wants you alive. I don't even understand why she does. And I'd love to kill you myself, the way I always used too..." The wistfulness in his voice makes Reyna's stomach churn. "But for now, I'll just have to take you prisoner. We already have one of your friends, the satyr. He put up quite a fight. Killed several of the monsters under my command. But they weren't substantial losses. The other one, though, the son of Hades, we thought he'd be with you. Tell me, my dear, where is he now?"

As if Reyna would ever tell him anything. The fact that Gaea doesn't want them dead yet, though, not even Gleeson, confuses her. What use are they to her?

"I don't know where he is. We split up." The lie flows smoothly from her lips. Sinis narrows his eyes at her and steps closer.

"That's funny. Because I heard that the son of Hades was unconscious, too weak to travel on his own."

Reyna looks calmly into his eyes. "Nico is strong. He woke up soon after we went into the woods, and we went separate ways."

Sinis stares into her eyes, looking for any sign that she was lieing. He must not find anything, because he steps back and claps his hands together.

"Oh well. We'll find him eventually. And two out of three isn't too bad, don't you think?"

Reyna raises her sword. "First you have to catch me."

Sinis smiles. Something about his calm demeanor makes Reyna feel like she's missing something. "Oh, my dear, you're already caught." He looks behind her and snaps his fingers.

Reyna whirls around just in time to see a club being swung at her head. And then she doesn't see anything at all.

**Dun dun dunnnnnnnnn. I love cliffhangers. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the slight wait. I had a short bout of writer's block, but don't worry, it's over now.**

**This chapter and the next few aren't gonna have too much action. For all the readers out there who love blood and gore and violence and all that, don't worry, there'll be plenty of that by the end.**

**Chapter XIV**

_**Annabeth**_

Percy eats while he talks, which, all things considered, is just a little gross. Blue syrup from the blue waffles he's eating drips down his chin, and it's always made Annabeth's stomach churn when she sees-and hears-people talk with their mouths full. It doesn't bother her so much now, though, after Tartarus, for some reason.

He talks with his hands, too, which gets a little dangerous, especially when he almost stabs Frank, who's sitting to his left, in the eye with his fork. Frank leans back to avoid it, and falls backwards. Percy looks down at him on the floor, asking why Frank fell, completely oblivious to the fact that the whole thing is his fault. Annabeth has to stifle a laugh, and she sees a few others hiding smiles as well.

When Annabeth hears how Percy defeated Pontus with his new trident, it troubles her. It shouldn't have been so easy to defeat one of the oldest gods. Especially not one as powerful as Pontus. Percy tries to play it down, telling them about the green-blue light that pulsed into Pontus' chest, and how it was all probably just thanks to some help from his dad. But Annabeth is pretty sure it's more than that, and that Percy knows it too. She sees something in his eyes, something a little like fear. As if he's afraid of himself.

Hearing about Thalassa troubles Annabeth even more, especially the fact that the woman got away. She could be a problem later on. But Annabeth is too happy that Percy is back, unharmed, to worry for very long. She watches him instead, at how his eyes sparkle with mischief as he talks, at how animated his features become. He's trying really hard, Annabeth can see. But she can also see the underlying shadows-the haunted look in his eyes behind the mask of happiness, how most of his smiles are forced.

When Percy finishes his story, the room is silent. Except, of course, for the sounds of him eating. The fact that pretty much everyone in the room is staring at him doesn't seem to bother him. Leo is the one who finally breaks the silence.

"So, basically, you stabbed an evil old man with a giant fork." He says, grinning. Percy grins back.

"Yeah, pretty much." He admits.

"Where is it now?" Jason asks. "The trident, I mean." Percy's grin only widens.

"Give me a second." He says. He stands and sticks a hand in the pocket where he always keeps Riptide, and comes up with a Celestial bronze tube, maybe four inches long. It doesn't look very special. "Okay, this is really cool." He looks up at the ceiling, calculating. Then he looks around the room, at the people standing or sitting near him. "You guys might want to stand back." And then he puts the hand holding the bronze cylinder out to the side, and after a few seconds, both ends kind of...erupt, really, since it's so fast, and the cylinder elongates into a deadly-looking bronze trident that stands a few inches taller than Percy himself. He handles it easily, naturally.

"How does it do that?" Leo asks. "Is there a button, or something? I know with Riptide you have to uncap it, so what do you have to do with the trident?" As he talks, Annabeth realizes that Percy didn't appear to have to do anything special to get his trident to spring into being. He just held it.

"That's the best part." Percy explains. "I don't really have to do anything. I just think about what I want it to do, and it does it. See?" And the trident shrinks back into a cylinder.

"Can I see it?" Leo says, always curious. Percy hands it to him. Leo inspects it, looking it all over for anything out of the ordinary. Then he holds it to the side like Percy did, trying to turn it back into a trident. It sort of flickers a little, but remains a cylinder. "Huh." Leo says thoughtfully. "I guess it only works for you, Percy." He tosses the cylinder back to Percy, who pockets it.

"I'm still amazed at how you managed to beat one of the oldest gods. Good job, man." Frank compliments, clapping Percy on the back. Percy winces in pain, and Annabeth is instantly worried. But he covers it up just as quickly. Still, Annabeth catches his eye, asking what's wrong with her eyes. He smiles slightly back at her and mouths, _I'll tell you later._ Then he stretches, raising his arms over his head so that his shirt rises up and reveals his well-muscled abdomen.

"I think I'm going to take a nap. If that's okay with you guys?" He looks around, questioning. "I don't think we'll have any attacks for a while, not with Roseus circling the ship."

"Yeah, that's fine, Percy. There isn't much to do right now, anyway." Leo answers. Percy heads out the door, catching Annabeth's eye as he does so. She knows he's not really going to bed. As everyone else starts talking about Percy's adventures, she quietly slips out the door and heads to Percy's room, where she finds him waiting for her, sitting on the edge of the bed. He smiles at her when she enters, but she can see the pain in his eyes.

"What's wrong, Percy?" She whispers.

"Nothing much." He tells her. Annabeth can tell he's lieing. She glares at him. He raises his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. When I was fighting Pontus, it really wasn't as easy as it sounds. When I turned away from him, he cut my back." Annabeth opens her mouth to say something, but Percy cuts her off. "It's nothing too serious. I should probably eat some ambrosia, to be safe, but I didn't want to worry anyone. That's why I didn't say anything."

"Why didn't the water heal you?" Annabeth asks.

"I think it's because we're in the Ionian, and it's being controlled by Thalassa right now. It's where she and Pontus were restricted to when Oceanus and then my dad took over. I doubt the water will be able to heal me as long as we're here."

Annabeth stands and goes out the door, motioning to Percy to stay where he is. He watches her go, his eyes curious, but doesn't say anything. She grabs some ambrosia from the infirmary and is back at Percy's room in seconds. She hands it to him and watches to make sure he eats it. He rolls his eyes at her attentions, but he eats it.

Annabeth visibly sees as the ambrosia does its job. Color rushes back to Percy's pale cheeks, and he sits up straighter. But at the same time, she sees something in his eyes. Worry, maybe. Or confusion. Whatever it is, she doesn't like it.

"Are you okay now?" She asks suspiciously. He sees her concern and grins, reaching out and pulling her to him.

"I'm great." He answers. She's about to ask something else, but he kisses her, and she forgets what she was going to say. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back, hard.

When she finally pulls away, their breath comes a little fast. Percy brushes a strand of hair out of her face and looks down at her with eyes so full of love that his gaze warms Annabeth from head to toe.

"I love you." He murmurs.

"I love you too, Percy." Annabeth says back. She kisses him again, just once, and then pulls back. "You should get some sleep, Percy. You need all the rest you can get."

"I'm not really all that tired." He answers.

"You should still try to sleep. You need it." He rolls his eyes at that, but then grins.

"Alright, I'll sleep. But only if you'll stay here with me." Annabeth smiles at him, cuddling against his chest.

"Always." She says softly. They curl up together on the bed, Annabeth on her back, staring at the ceiling, and Percy on his stomach, one arm draped over Annabeth, pulling her to him. He kisses her on the forehead, and then the lips, just once, before resting his head on his arm and then closing his eyes. He's asleep within minutes.

Annabeth rolls onto her side and watches him sleep, sprawling on the bed. She moves as close to him as she can get, feeling his warmth, and places her head next to his on the pillow. She closes her eyes, warm and content. It isn't long before she, too, drifts off into sleep.

**PERCABETH! YAY! Although I gotta say, I think the mushy stuff could be a bit better. I'll work on it.**

**Hey, what do you guys think about me maybe writing a read the books fanfiction? I know it's pretty common, but for some reason I really like those fanfictions. And on most of the ones I've found, the author has stopped writing. But before I started working on it, I wanted your opinion. **

**What do you think?**


	15. Chapter 15

**I thought I should put in a Jason chapter. I still have yet to do Frank and Hazel, but don't worry, you'll see them soon.**

**Hey, if Percy's supposed to be glue, what does that make Jason?**

**Post a review if you have any idea what I'm talking about.**

**Chapter XV**

_**Jason**_

Jason stares up at the ceiling in his room. Leo sent him to bed an hour ago, saying that they all might as well get some sleep while they still could. But Jason hasn't been able to shut his brain off.

He sighs and stands up, pacing around his room. His mind buzzes with thoughts, mostly about how Percy somehow managed to defeat one of the oldest gods. Jason's never done anything like that. He spends most of every fight they have unconscious. Or asleep.

His expression sours. He still can't believe he was sleeping while Annabeth, Percy, and Leo were risking their lives to protect the ship. Annabeth told him that someone was probably keeping them that way on purpose, but it doesn't make him feel any better. He should have been helping them.

He goes to his window. The sky is already dark. The ocean is so still that it reflects the stars almost perfectly.

He's _jealous_. The realization shocks him. It isn't often that he finds himself desperately wanting what someone else has. But Percy has everything. The others follow his lead without question, even Piper and Leo. Although Leo has seemed a little hostile towards Percy lately.

Percy made it through Tartarus and back. Sure, he had Annabeth, but Jason knows that he probably wouldn't have been able to survive Tartarus, even if he had someone there with him.

Percy commands the room. He makes everyone smile, sometimes without meaning too. He doesn't seem all that self-conscious or at all insecure. He doesn't even seem to have to try all that hard. He's a natural leader.

Jason runs his fingers through his hair. He's always had to try as hard as he could to get where he wanted to go. Maybe it's just because he went to Camp Jupiter instead of Camp Half-Blood, and things were always difficult there. Or maybe he isn't as good of a leader as he thought.

A knock on the door causes him to turn.

"Jason? Are you awake?" Piper's voice calls softly.

"Yeah. Come in." Jason answers. He watches her as she comes in. She's wearing her eagle pajamas, and her chocolate brown hair is messy. She's not wearing makeup, she's barefoot, and there are shadows under her eyes from more than a few sleepless nights.

She couldn't be more beautiful. Her kaleidoscope eyes keep changing color-from blue, to green, to hazel. Jason loves her eyes. They're one of his favorite things about her.

"Can't sleep?" She asks. Jason nods. She sits on his bed with a sigh, and he walks over and sits next to her.

"Me either." She admits. She rests her head on Jason's shoulder, and he wraps an arm around her, holding her to him. They sit like that for some time, Jason once more lost in his thoughts, until he lets out a long, frustrated sigh.

"What's wrong, Jason?" Piper asks, tilting her head to look at him. Jason shrugs and shakes his head. Piper takes his hand and holds it tightly in hers.

"Come on, Jason, you can tell me. I want to know. Maybe I can help." Her eyes are so wide and honest, Jason can't help but talk to her.

"It's just...I can't..." He fumbles for words, unsure of what to say. He's silent for a few seconds, searching for words, and then, suddenly, he just bursts out with it. "Do you think I'm a bad leader?"

"What?" Piper asks. "No, of course not. You're the best leader. Why do you ask?"

"I've spent a lot of fights unconscious. And the last one, with the sea serpent, I was _asleep._ It makes me feel so...useless." He says. He keeps his eyes down, not looking at Piper. She touches his face with her hand and forces him to look at her.

"Jason, you are not a bad leader." She tells him softly. "You are smart, and brave, and an incredible fighter. And the whole sleeping thing wasn't your fault. It was a spell."

Jason looks away. He wants to believe her so badly, to believe what she's saying is true. She starts talking again, drawing his attention back to her.

"You killed Enceladus. You distracted Porphyrion so that Leo and I could break Hera's cage. You helped Hazel defeat Sciron. And even before all that, you were praetor of New Rome. You killed Krios with your bare hands. You've killed countless monsters. You are definitely a leader, Jason."

"I had help with all that, though. I've never defeated any major enemies by myself."

Piper leans back a little more, staring intently into his eyes. "This is about Percy, isn't it." She doesn't phrase it as a question.

Jason doesn't answer. He doesn't need to.

"Jason, Percy is a good fighter. He's a good leader, too. But so are you. That was what Hera's plan was all about. To exchange two of the most powerful demigods of all time-and the most important leaders-and unite the two camps. It didn't exactly work out the way she planned it, but that doesn't make you any less powerful. Or any less of a leader. Percy is goofy, always ready to smile. He's always good for a laugh. But you, Jason, are always serious, always worrying. And most of the worrying you do is about everyone and everything else."

"Not entirely sure how all this is supposed to make me feel any better." Jason says.

"Worry isn't a bad thing, Jason. It's kept you alive. It's kept all of us alive, at one point or another. And while Percy may be a good leader, he's not very good at being serious about things. He never stops joking. That's why we need you. You balance that out, keep everyone on track. You make sure we know that we're not on a cruise, and Percy keeps everyone from getting super depressed. We need both of you."

Jason thinks about that. There are still traces of doubt in his mind; a little voice in the back of his head that tells him he's useless. But he hears a ring of truth in Piper's words.

"I guess maybe you're right." He says.

Piper smiles at him. She moves closer to him, until their lips are only inches away. "We do need you. And we need Percy. But just between you and me, I definitely think you're the best."

And then she kisses him. Jason holds her as tightly as he can, and kisses her back. When she pulls away, Piper smiles at him warmly, radiating love.

"Let's go up on deck. We can watch the stars." She suggests. Jason agrees, and follows her up the stairs.

They stand at the railing, looking out over the calm, dark sea, their arms wrapped around each other as they watch the stars shine brightly overhead. Piper rests her head on Jason's shoulder, and he rests his head on hers. They're both completely silent. But it's a good kind of silence, filled with warmth and kindness and love.

**FLUFF. I love fluff. I thought you guys deserved some Jasper. Now I need some Frazel.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hazel chapter! My first one ever. **

**Oh, and guys, I really appreciate the reviews. But, cute? Really? **

**Two people have said I'm 'cute.' I am not 'cute.' I have no desire to be 'cute.' 'Cute makes me sound like a little girl.**

**So if you want to say something like that, I would greatly prefer it if you said I was ****EPICLY AWESOME**** instead.**

**That's much better than 'cute.'**

**:p**

**Chapter XVI**

_**Hazel**_

__Hazel paces back and forth in her bedroom, wondering if any of the others are having trouble sleeping. Probably not. But Hazel is too full of energy to even consider sleep. It's not that she's scared, or nervous, or whatever. In fact, as they get closer to Athens, she's kind of been getting excited. But that's not the point. Hazel just isn't tired.

Her pacing around the room, from wall to wall, bed to window, is starting to make her feel more and more like a caged animal. She creeps to her door and peeks out. No one. She tiptoes into the hallway, carefully shutting the door behind her. She decides to see if anyone else is up. Maybe if she had someone to talk to, it would make her restlessness a little more bearable.

She goes to Annabeth's room first. She doesn't really want to bother Annabeth. But she might have a suggestion for Hazel to help her with her sleeplessness.

Hazel's bare feet are silent on the floor. She tries to be as quiet as possible when she opens Annabeth's door, just in case she's asleep. But when Hazel looks into her room, it's empty.

Hazel steps back into the hall, confused. Where could Annabeth be? But then she smiles as the answer comes to her. She walks across the corridor, and opens that door, peeking in.

She has to stifle a giggle when she sees Annabeth and Percy. Percy's sprawled across the bed, one appendage to each side, so that Annabeth has been forced to curl up on the very corner of the mattress, snuggled against his side. The sound of their soft snores mingles so that you can hardly tell whether it's one person snoring, or two. They're so cute together.

Hazel, still smiling, gently shuts the door, so as not to wake the couple. She debates briefly before heading to Frank's room next. But when she gets there, he's asleep too, curled into a ball like a bulldog, the way he always sleeps.

Hazel sighs softly and runs her fingers through her tangled cinnamon blonde hair. Her next choice would be to talk to Piper, but she knows that Piper hasn't been getting very much sleep lately, and doesn't want to risk waking her up. And Jason and Leo...Well, Hazel would really rather talk to a girl. Girl talk, you know. She would have been happy talking to Frank, because of their closeness, but she doesn't feel comfortable disturbing either of the others just because she can't sleep.

She starts up the stairs to the deck, but stops halfway up when she sees Piper and Jason standing at the railing, holding each other. As much as she wants to talk to Piper, she could never interrupt one of her and Jason's shared moments.

She goes back to her room and lies on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wishes she had Nico to talk to. He never slept. And he was always willing to listen. But he's transporting Reyna, Coach Hedge, and the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood.

She wonders about his motives. She got the sense, immediately after he volunteered, that he wasn't really thinking things through. He was always so distant, but Hazel could usually tell what he was thinking about. This time, though, she couldn't, and that bothered her. She did know that he had been bitter and even a little angry after they got back from the House of Hades. She wished she knew what was wrong.

As she stares at the ceiling, she starts manipulating the Mist, closing her eyes and concentrating. When she reopens them, she's no longer in her room. She's at the place where she first saw Arion, so long ago. The sky is bright blue. It all looks so real, she feels like she could reach out and touch one of the trees.

She lets the image fade. It makes her sad, for some reason. But she starts playing with the Mist some more, testing the limits of her power, creating illusions and transforming her room into different environments. She creates a herd of miniature horses that gallop through the air, and then they morph into hippocampi, growing fish tails and swimming instead of galloping.

She fills her room with creatures of all shapes and sizes, mythical or not. She uses her powers so much that her room fills with white Mist that swirls around her, thickening the closer it gets to her. She twirls a tendril of the Mist around her finger, marveling at it.

She looks around her room, wondering at all that she's managed to imagine and then create with the Mist. Her herd of hippocampi still swims in the air around her head, but she also recreated her original herd of horses. Occasionally, the two mingle, regular horses mixing with half-fish, half-horses. Besides those two, there are a few unicorns grazing in a lush, green valley of Hazel's own creation, two yellow lab puppies wrestling and playing tug-of-war, and a Hyperborean giant playing in an ocean.

Hazel also creates several images of her own memories, the ones that don't make her too sad. The first is of Arion, as he runs up the side of the glacier, carrying Hazel, Frank, and Percy on his back. The second is of Frank and Hazel, the first time they kissed. The third, and last, image is of Nico, the first time she ever saw him, when he helped her escape from the Underworld.

Hazel sighs, happily this time, and lays back against her pillow, watching her creations. Her eyes start to grow heavy, and the last thing she sees before she falls asleep is an image of Nico's face.

_ Hazel stands in a forest of pines. Pine needles cover the ground, muffling the sound of her footsteps. She hears a voice behind her and turns. There, standing among the trees, is Reyna, facing a tall, buff man with dark hair and a beard._

_ "Join us, my young demigod. Help Gaea rise from her slumber. You will be rewarded. Riches beyond compare." The man says._

_ "I will _never _help Gaea. Never!" Reyna spits at him. Hazel wonders why she doesn't attack, then realizes that Reyna's sword has been taken from her and her hands are tied behind her back. _

_ "Oh, but you will, my dear. You will." The man murmurs, looking Reyna up and down, as if calculating how long it will be before she gives in. But Hazel knows better. Reyna will never give in._

_ The dream blurs, and suddenly she's standing by a fallen tree, looking at the tangle of roots where it ripped out of the ground. The roots shift as she stares at them, and then a hand emerges, then an arm, and suddenly Nico's face is peering out. _

_ His skin is much paler than usual, so pale it looks sort of grayish green. And as he moves the rest of the way out, nearly falling twice, it becomes clear that he's weak. He barely manages to stand, using a root to pull himself up, and his whole body is shaking uncontrollably. He's obviously overexerted himself. But he's alive, and uninjured._

_ Hazel feels such joy at seeing him that she jumps toward him to hug him. But she goes right through and smacks into the tangle of roots, knocking a bunch of dust loose. Nico whips around at the sound of her impact with the tree, but apparently doesn't see anything. Meanwhile, Hazel inhales some of the dust and starts coughing._

_ When she finally stops, Nico is standing in the middle of the clearing, looking confused. Obviously, he doesn't know about Reyna's capture, otherwise he would've headed off immediately to rescue her. Hazel tries to get his attention, shouting his name, but he can't hear her. He starts walking away, step after shaky step, and Hazel kicks the tree in frustration. A dull thud echoes in the clearing, and Nico whirls around, grabbing at the hilt of his sword. _That_ he heard. Hazel gets an idea. She picks up a sharp rock from the ground and starts scraping at the bark of the tree, writing her message. It works. Then she turns to get Nico's attention again. _

_ He isn't looking her way. She kicks the tree again, but he only looks suspiciously in her direction. She starts to feel frustrated again, but then she sees a pebble on the ground. _

_ Just as Nico turns away from her, she throws it and hits him in the back of the neck. Nico claps his hand to the back of his neck, saying "Ow!" He looks over to where she's standing and takes a few small steps in her direction. Then he stops._

_ Hazel throws another pebble at him, this time hitting him in the chest. He rubs the spot, and looks right at Hazel. He walks towards her again, moving faster this time, but then he stops again before he reaches the place where she wrote her message. _

_ Hazel rolls her eyes at his stupidity. Then she nails him in the forehead with another pebble. _

_ The look on his face is priceless. Hazel wishes she had a camera. But the third times the charm, as they say, and Nico comes close enough for the words she's written in the bark to catch his eye. He moves closer and starts reading. His eyes get wider and wider._

**REYNA CAPTURED. YOU HAVE TO RESCUE HER**

**AND GET THE ATHENA PARTHENOS TO CAMP. THE**

_**ARGO II**_** HAS ALMOST REACHED ATHENS. THE**

**GODS' GREEK AND ROMAN SIDES HAVE TO BE **

**RECONCILED BEFORE THE FEAST OF SPES.**

**LOVE, HAZEL.**

_ When he's finished reading, Nico looks around wildly. Hazel wishes he could see and hear her, so she could actually talk to him. He reads her message one more time, and then walks briskly away, into the trees. He pauses at the edge of the clearing, looking back where Hazel is. Almost as if he could actually see her._

_ "Thanks, Hazel. I love you too." He says softly. And then he continues on._

**I know that usually demigods can't really do anything in their dreams, but I thought it would make a nice twist for Hazel to be able to do things in her dreams. Since she can manipulate the Mist and all, I figured she was the most likely candidate for ****EPICLY AWESOME**** dream powers.**

**What did you guys think about it?**

**Oh, and don't worry. Action chapters are coming real soon. I hope. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**I got called 'cute' again today at school! By a teacher's helper, no less. **

**I was skipping down the hall (yes, skipping. skipping is fun.) while my friend Lauren walked beside me and tried not to laugh. I was already laughing, and I pushed her into the lockers as I skipped, and then the teacher's helper came out of a room next to us at that exact same moment and said,**

**"Awwwwww! That must have been the cutest thing I've ever seen! You're so cute!"**

**I stopped skipping. She went back into the room. **

**Lauren had to hold me back from following her and explaining, in my way,**

**that I am most certainly not 'cute.' I am ****EPICLY AWESOME.**

**I am most certainly NOT 'cute.'**

**Chapter XVII**

_**Nico**_

Nico would never admit it to anyone, but the message from Hazel really freaks him out. He wonders whether it could be some kind of trick, or a trap. But he doesn't think so. He just has a feeling about it.

If the message really was from Hazel, though, that could be bad. She shouldn't have been able to do something like that. Even if she is a daughter of one of the Big Three.

Nico pushes all thoughts of Hazel to the back of his mind. He needs to focus. Reyna has been captured, and probably Coach Hedge too. He wouldn't bet on the Athena Parthenos still being on the beach, either. They've most likely been captured by a very large number of monsters, otherwise they would have been able to fight them off. They're probably being held in those monsters' camp. So, to put it simply, all Nico has to do is sneak into a camp filled with monsters, rescue Reyna and Coach Hedge, get them to the Athena Parthenos, and then shadow-travel everyone out of there when all he wants to do is curl up and sleep for a week.

Nico sighs. He has his work cut out for him.

A rustling in the trees to his left startles him, and he has his sword drawn and raised before he even thinks about it. But it's only a bird.

Oh, yeah, Nico thinks. I also have to avoid getting _myself _captured. Add that to the list of impossibilities.

The more he thinks about the task ahead of him, the more he starts to believe the whole thing is impossible. So he decides not to think about it. He concentrates on finding the monsters' camp instead.

That, already, is a pretty hopeless endeavor, but Nico tries anyway. He figures that if he walks long enough, he's sure to get somewhere.

As he walks, a depressing little voice in the back of his head continues to try its hardest to make him give up.

_You'll never find them. _It taunts.

Nico ignores it.

_It's like trying to find a lucky penny in the river Styx. Impossible. _It hisses at him.

Nico continues to ignore it.

_You're going to get your friends killed. It'll be all your fault. Reyna was probably captured in the first place because she was protecting you. You're just like your father, Hades. Selfish. You don't care about anyone except yourself. _

_Shut UP_. Nico thinks at it, imagining an imaginary gag for the imaginary voice in the back of his head.

Surprisingly, it works. The voice stops talking.

But the damage is already done. Nico starts wondering if what the voice said was true. Is he going to get his friends killed? Was it really his fault that Reyna was kidnapped? Is he selfish?

But, no. He tells himself. Hades wasn't always selfish. He did leave the Underworld to help hold back Kronos' army. And he had loved Nico's mother. So Hades couldn't be all bad. And Nico is very different from his father. He helped fight the Battle of the Labrynth. He helped defeat Kronos' army, after convincing Hades to fight. He got everyone to the Doors of Death in time to save Percy and Annabeth, although not all the credit for that one could go to Nico.

Nico has made mistakes. He knows that. But he isn't a bad person. He _will _get the Athena Parthenos to camp on time, and he _will_ rescue Reyna and Coach Hedge.

Suddenly, Nico hears voices up ahead. He freezes, straining his ears in order to hear what they're saying.

"Come, my dear, I tire of this stubbornness of yours. Can't you see you're on the losing side? Gaea will rise, and unless you join her, you will die." A cruel, rough male voice says. An unmistakeably female voice says something that Nico can't quite make out.

"Oh, enough of that. Stop being so ridiculous." The man says. He waits, but the girl doesn't respond. The man sighs. "Oh well. I suppose I'll leave you alone for now. Just remember, things will be so much easier for you if you agree now. After all, you'll agree eventually."

"Like hell I will." Nico's heart starts to race. He knows that voice.

"Oh, but you will, my dear."

"Stop calling me that! I am not your 'dear.' I'm not _your_ anything. Now leave me alone, you lieing, stinking, _pig_. You're nothing but a tick-infested bastard, you stupid, ugly, son of a-" By Reyna's muffled sound of outrage, Nico guesses that the man has covered her mouth with his hand.

"You're only making things worse for yourself, my dear." He tells her. Nico starts creeping forward, moving closer to them to try and get a look at Reyna's kidnapper.

When Nico finally spots him through the trees, the man's back is turned. Nico can see that he's pretty strong, but that's pretty much it.

Then the man gives a howl of pain and outrage, and yanks his hand away from Reyna's mouth, cradling it with his other hand while he stumbles backwards and to the side, which gives Nico a clear view of the man's face. When he sees it, he nearly gags.

The man's dark brown hair and beard are greasy, and the skin of his face is covered with pockmarks. His nose looks like it's been smashed into his face, and his teeth are brown and crooked. His bulbous, beady, yellow-brown eyes are sunken into his head, but somehow still manage to bug out. Boils have erupted all over his face, and the skin not covered with boils or pockmarks is the color and texture of rancid meat.

Despite all that, though, the man's face is cruel and evil, and not necessarily all that stupid.

The man glares at Reyna.

"You'll pay for that." He spits.

"I doubt it." Reyna answers mildly. The man's nostrils flare in anger, and he turns and storms out of the clearing. Fortunately, he heads in the direction opposite Nico.

Nico waits for a few minutes to make sure the man doesn't come back, then steps into the clearing, towards Reyna. The look of relief on her face is so obvious that Nico can't help but smile, surprising himself. But Reyna covers it up quickly, building her expression into one of irritation.

"What in Tartarus took you so long?" She asks.

"Nice to see you too, Reyna. Miss me?" Nico answers, his smile not diminished in the least. "So, who was that?"

"Sinis. He's a nasty piece of work." She says.

"You know you just insulted pigs everywhere, right?" Nico tells her, studying the ropes that bind her to the tree.

"Yeah, and I'm never going to be able to wash this taste out of my mouth." She says, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Nico laughs. Reyna looks at him in surprise, but then she starts laughing too.

With a jolt, Nico realizes he's never really heard her laugh before. Not like this, anyway. She has a loud, deep laugh, unlike the girly, high-pitched laughs Nico is used to hearing from girls, and he instantly decides he likes it.

When they've both finished, Nico slices through Reyna's bindings with one stroke of his sword, and she stands, rubbing her wrists. He notices that her sword is gone, and wonders where Sinis might have put it.

"Do you know where Coach Hedge and the Athena Parthenos are?" Nico asks.

Reyna jerks her chin in the direction that Sinis went. "Both of them are in the camp. Right in the middle."

"So we'll have to sneak in then?"

"Yeah. The good news is, Gleeson is right next to the statue. The bad news is the fact that we're going to have to go through hundreds, maybe even thousands, of enemy monsters to get to them."

Nico looks ahead, but sees nothing but pine trees and shadows. "Sounds like fun."

"Definitely."

"We'll probably have to fight." Nico informs her.

"Good. On one condition." Reyna says.

More than a little wary, Nico asks, "What?"

"I get to kill Sinis." Nico looks into Reyna's eyes. They're dead serious, filled with anger and a steely determination that reminds Nico of Annabeth.

He grins broadly. "You've got a deal."


	18. Chapter 18

**Double post today! Yay!**

**And on that happy note, now we need to talk. **

**What is **_**WRONG**_** with you guys?!**

**Seriously, I've gotten almost FOUR THOUSAND views, and only SEVENTEEN of you have posted!**

**WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?!**

**I should start depriving you people of chapters. I am seriously considering this.**

**I **_**NEED**_** your reviews. Reviews are my caffeine. They give me the energy to keep writing.**

**So, please, please, please, **_**PLEASE **_**review. And for any people out there who don't have a fanfiction account, you don't have to have one to post a review. Just fyi. You guys must review if I am to get anywhere with this story. Otherwise it just might go in circles forever. Or worse.**

**So ****REVIEW!**

**Chapter XVIII**

_**Reyna**_

Nico's light mood surprises Reyna. They haven't really talked much at all, but her overall impression of him has always been dark, brooding, and mysterious. He's never been particularly talkative. Which is why his almost happy mood shocks her.

Not that the change isn't welcome. Reyna much prefers him this way. Of course, if he starts to be like this all the time, it might get a little annoying. Like Percy. But she has a feeling that Nico would have a hard time-an impossible time-being happy all the time.

The sound of Nico's voice startles her out of her thoughts.

"How'd they manage to catch you anyway? It seems that it would be an awfully hard thing to do." He says. Reyna narrows her eyes at him suspiciously, looking for a sign that he's teasing. She finds none.

"Sinis distracted me. While I was talking to him, another monster snuck up behind me. By the time I realized he was there, it was too late to do anything about it. He hit me in the head with a club." Reyna rubs the back of her head absentmindedly as she talks, wincing. It still smarts a bit.

"Ouch. Reminds me a little of what happened when Otis and Ephialtes trapped me in that stupid bronze jar." Nico's nonchalant tone, and his carefree way of bringing up his capture and near suffocation, surprises Reyna for the second time in less than five minutes. She decides not to ask anything about it, though, since she doesn't want to bring back that haunted look in his eyes that he normally has.

"Yeah. I think I still have a bump on the back of my head. Doesn't hurt too much anymore, though, so I'm good." She says, making an effort to keep her voice light. Nico shoots a look at her, as if he understands what she's doing and doesn't like it. He's quiet for a few minutes as they walk, and then he starts to talk again, in a quiet, calm voice, looking straight ahead the entire time.

"It's okay to ask me about it, you know. I might not answer, but that doesn't mean I'll start raving like a madman if you so much as mention it to me."

Reyna watches him for a second, attempting to gauge his mood. She's usually pretty good at that, but right now, she has no idea what Nico's feeling. "I guess I figured you would bring it up if you wanted to talk. And I also thought that you'd probably prefer to discuss it with someone you actually know."

"I think it would be harder for me to talk about it then. I'd be afraid they'd think I'm weak, or, worse, that they'd pity me." He admits.

"I don't think anyone could think you're weak, Nico. You're the first demigod to survive Tartarus, and even though Annabeth and Percy have now been through the same thing, they had each other. You were completely alone. But I understand what you mean about pity. I hate it when people feel sorry for me. It makes me feel like I'm some sort of charity case." Reyna tells him. He looks at her then, but looks away again almost immediately.

"Exactly why I haven't talked to anyone about it. Yet." He mutters. Then he takes a deep breath and refocuses on the situation at hand. "So, how do you want to do this? Super stealth mode, or just charge in and kill every monster in sight?"

"Considering the fact that the camp is made up of thousands of monsters and not hundreds, I think we'll have to go with super stealth mode." Reyna answers.

Nico nods. "Considering that, yeah, super stealth mode would probably be the better idea. How far ahead of us is it?"

"Maybe thirty feet." Reyna calculates. They walk in silence, but just before they'd break through the trees and be able to see the camp, Nico puts out an arm to stop Reyna.

"Wait. I want to try something." He says. Reyna waits, wary of the look on his face. He reaches out and grips Reyna's shoulder. Then he closes his eyes.

From the look on his face, Reyna gets the idea that he's concentrating fiercely. Also from the way his grip keeps tightening on Reyna's shoulder. Ow.

A bead of sweat rolls down his forehead.

Just when Reyna is about to interrupt him, ask him what he's trying to do, tell him he's bruising her shoulder, something happens. A gray, shadowy mist seeps from his fingers and wraps itself around him, and then around Reyna. It clings to their skin in wisps.

Reyna swipes her fingers through it, fascinated. It doesn't really feel any different from normal air. Just a little colder.

Nico opens his eyes. He doesn't look at all tired, as most of his powers seem to make him.

"Oh, good, it worked." He says, sounding pleased with himself. Reyna looks at him, not bothering to cover up the astonishment in her eyes.

"How did you do that? And what does it do?" She asks.

Nico shifts uncomfortably. "I was thinking about what Hazel can do with the Mist, and wondering if I could do something similar, to hide us better when we sneak through the monsters' camp. And since I'm good with shadows, I was thinking maybe I could use them to hide us instead of the Mist. And it worked."

Reyna just stares at him, frozen. Then she shakes her head in amazement.

"Okay, then. Come on, Shadow Boy, let's go kill us some monsters." And then she marches out of the trees.

She can practically feel Nico rolling his eyes at her, but she doesn't care. She's too busy grinning like an idiot.

The gasp she hears from him when he first sees the camp is extremely satisfying.

Thousands of monsters (as Reyna said) are camped in a valley that seems to stretch out endlessly before them. Both Reyna and Nico have been in big battles, but neither of them have really seen monsters gathered this close together. It's enough to strike fear into the hearts of the bravest demigods. But both Reyna and Nico just pause, take a deep breath, and walk on.

The wisps of shadow, whatever they are, seem to be doing their job. No one's sounded the alarm or shouted "Hey! Two demigods are sneaking up on us!" so Reyna's pretty sure no one can see them. Or, if they can, they see something that isn't threatening.

The two demigods walk through the camp of monsters, invisible. They don't even have to sneak. They're just walking normally, as if they're out for a stroll in the park.

Two dracaenae slither towards them, hissing to each other. Reyna and Nico scoot over to give them room to pass, but before they have a chance to, a wicked grin breaks out on Reyna's face. It only gets wider when the dracaenae closest to them suddenly trips, seemingly by accident, and lands face first on the ground, screeching the whole time. When she gets to her feet, red-faced with anger and embarassment, she starts arguing with her companion, claiming that she was the one who tripped her. They start shrieking at each other.

Reyna has to stifle her laughter. When she looks over at Nico, he's shaking his head at her in exasperation, but she can see the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

They reach the center of the camp without any further 'incidents,' where they find Coach Hedge leaning back against the base of the Athena Parthenos, snoring away. Reyna and Nico exchange a look of amusement. Then their eyes both start to shine with a mischevious light as an idea comes to them at the same time.

They sneak up on either side of Coach Hedge, making sure the wisps of shadow are still surrounding them. Then Nico leans down and starts whispering into the satyr's ear. Reyna notices that he's speaking in a language she's never heard before. The words that she can hear make her shiver, even though she can't understand them. It creeps her out a little. Not that she'd ever admit that.

Coach Hedge wakes with a start, glancing around wildly, his eyes wide with fright. Nico backs up a few steps, but continues his whispering, and Reyna can swear the air feels colder.

"Who's there?" Coach Hedge asks, fumbling for his baseball bat before remembering a.) that his hands were tied; and b.) that he didn't have his baseball bat.

"It's me, Reyna." Reyna answers, in a whispery, melancholy sort of voice that makes her feel proud of her acting skills.

"R-Reyna?" Gleeson says. "Are-are you dead?" He sounds so mournful that it almost makes Reyna feel bad for playing a trick on him. Almost.

"No, you old goat, I'm right here." She says in her normal voice, slinging a shoulder around the satyr. He jumps so badly at her touch that she can't help but laugh. And then she hears someone else laughing.

It's a deep, full, down to the belly laugh, the kind of laugh that makes everyone else laugh too-or laugh harder, in this case. Reyna looks over to the source and is surprised to see Nico in near hysterics, holding his stomach and covering his mouth with one hand, trying to muffle the sound of his laughter. For good reason, too; some of the monsters near them start looking around, clutching their weapons.

Nico laughs so hard his laughs become silent. Tears stream from his eyes. Reyna is still laughing too, she can't help it as long as she's watching Nico or Coach Hedge, who's still glancing back and forth in confusion, since he can't see them. When Nico finally gets his laughter under control, he still has to take a few moments to catch his breath. Then he grins widely.

"That was great. Can we do it to someone else?" He asks Reyna.

"Oh, I'd love too, but we'd better find a few friends first. The monsters here will probably draw weapons first and ask questions later." She tells him.

"We can do it when we get to camp!" He says, his eyes shining. Reyna's cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling so much, which surprises her. She can't remember the last time she smiled this much. Or the last time she did anything for fun, for that matter. Although this whole quest isn't exactly a picnic.

"Sure. As long as none of them try to decapitate me. Then I'd be forced to take drastic measures." Nico just smiles back at her, but then some emotion clouds his eyes, and his smile slowly starts to fade.

"Where are you guys? I can't see you to strangle you." Coach Hedge complains, breaking the slightly awkward silence that'd fallen. Reyna switches her attention to the satyr.

"Oh, Gleeson, you couldn't if you tried." She says. His face flushes red.

"Why, you little-! I most certainly could too!" He barks at her. Reyna almost starts laughing again right there.

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Gleeson." She assures him, attempting to soothe his ego. He narrows his eyes in her general direction.

"I wasn't born yesterday, missy. I know sarcasm when I hear it." He retorts.

"Oh, we all know you weren't born yesterday, Coach." Nico joins in the conversation. "Kind of obvious, isn't it? What with you being so wise and all." He's much better at hiding his sarcasm than Reyna. Coach Hedge seems to believe him.

"Eh, alright. Whatever you say. Now undo whatever voodoo magic stuff you've done on yourselves so that I can see you."

"Actually, Coach, I was kind of thinking we should just go ahead and get out of here. It'd be safer." Nico says.

"No way! I'm not leaving without my baseball bat!" Coach protests vehemently. Nico sighs exasperatedly, then looks at Reyna for some support. She shifts uncomfortably.

"Actually, I was kinda hoping I could get my sword back too, even if I don't get the chance to kill Sinis. I'll need it for protection." She admits. He sighs again, then shrugs.

"Whatever. Might as well. Coach, stay here. We'll go get your baseball bat." Gleeson opens his mouth to protest again, but Nico cuts him off. "Oh, wait. I don't suppose either of you have any idea where your weapons are?"

"I do." Reyna says.

"Okay." Nico says, waiting. When she doesn't answer right away, he burst out impatiently, "Well, where are they?"

"They're in Sinis' tent." She confesses. What she doesn't tell him about is the little curl of satisfaction that twists inside of her at the idea of going to Sinis' tent and finding him there. Then she can have her revenge on him.

"Of course they are. Well, Coach, we'll be right back. Stay put." Nico gestures for Reyna to take the lead. She does so with pleasure, already planning how she's going to kill Sinis.

**You go, Reyna!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Happy thoughts to letskilloctevian for commenting sweet stuff and being all nice. So rainbows and butterflies and chocolate to you. I'm thinking happy thoughts in your direction.**

**And no, Percy and Piper are not starting to like each other. They're just becoming better friends.**

**As for who will die in the end...that's completely up to me. MWAHAHAHA!**

**Also, to 1FanGirlGeek, thanks for your reviews and I will try to put more in about Hazel and the Mist.**

**I'm not sure this chapter sounds so much like ricki. Hmmm...Oh well. :)**

**Chapter XIX**

_**Annabeth**_

Annabeth wakes feeling content. No dreams. She stretches languidly, bumping the headboard with her hands. She notices that the gray light of dawn is just starting to seep into the sky. Everyone else is probably still asleep. Then she flips onto her side and watches Percy as he sleeps.

He still drools. He always has, ever since she took care of him when he first came to camp. She can't remember ever not seeing him drool in his sleep. It makes her smile.

She puts a hand on his back to pull him closer, only to pull it away, surprised, when she finds that his back is wet.

At first she thinks it's just water, but then she remembers that Percy can't get wet. She holds her hand up to her face, and in the dim light she can just make it out. When she sees what's on her hand, she recoils in shock.

Her hand is crimson with blood.

She recovers from her surprise and switches on the lamp on the bedside table. Its light shows that the back of Percy's shirt is completely soaked in blood and is starting to drip onto the sheets.

"Percy!" She hisses, trying not to shout and wake the others. She shakes his shoulder. He groans. "Percy, wake up!"

"Go 'way, 'm sleeping." He moans. He buries his face into his pillow.

"Percy, get up! Your back is bleeding!" Annabeth tells him. He doesn't seem overly concerned about that fact, since he starts snoring. "Percy, _wake up right now!_"

He opens his eyes halfway and starts sitting up. "I'm up, I'm up. What is it? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Annabeth gets a very strong urge to strangle him. "Percy, why didn't you tell me your back was hurt this badly?"

His brow furrows in confusion. "What?" Annabeth points at his back. He twists around to look at it and winces in pain. "Oh. You mean that."

"Yes, Percy, _that._ Your shirt is _soaked _in blood. What is _wrong _with you? How could you think it was okay not to tell me this?" Her voice is dangerously low. He glances at her, sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair.

"I didn't want to worry you. The ambrosia should've worked. But it didn't do anything. I thought maybe it was just taking longer than usual, or something. But you really shouldn't worry too much, Annabeth. I'll be fine." He assures her.

Annabeth doesn't believe him. She jumps to her feet, tugging on his arm. "Come on. We're going to the infirmary. Now."

Percy throws his head back and groans. "Annabeth." He draws her name out in exasperation. She only glares at him.

He stands, muttering under his breath the whole time. Then he sways, clutching his head.

"Whoa. Dizzy." He says. Annabeth looks at him in concern, and proceeds to tow him down the hall to the infirmary.

"Shirt off." She orders briskly. Percy grins.

"I can deal with that." Annabeth doesn't respond, and he sighs. But he strips off his shirt and turns so Annabeth can see.

The bandages he put on are still there, but are soaked through. Annabeth gently peels them away from his skin and then has to bite back a gasp when she sees what was underneath them.

A wide, deep cut stretches from his left shoulder to his right hip. Blood flows seemingly endlessly from the wound.

"Lay down." She tells Percy. He does so without complaint. Annabeth grabs several towels from a nearby cabinet and starts cleaning the blood off Percy's back. It takes forever, especially since his cut continues bleeding throughout. Finally, though, she manages to soak up most of the blood on his back.

Then Annabeth wonders what to do about it. Obviously, she can't just bandage it again. It's way too big. Too deep, too wide, too long, all of that. But if water can't heal him while they're in the Ionian, and ambrosia isn't working, what is she supposed to do?

She grabs a bottle of nectar and pours some of it into the cut. Percy's muscles tense, but he doesn't make a sound.

She watches as the amber liquid seeps into the cut. But it doesn't help. At all.

She sits back, frustrated. She has to get the bleeding stopped, at least. But if bandages, water, ambrosia, and nectar all aren't working, how in Hades is she supposed to accomplish that?

And just like that, the answer comes to her. She starts feeling queasy thinking about what she's going to have to do. But she knows it's the only option she has at this point. So she takes a deep breath to fortify herself, and then climbs back to her feet.

She checks the cabinet to make sure she'll have what she needs. All the supplies are there. Another thing, though. She's going to need help.

"Percy, I'll be right back." He only grunts in acknowledgement.

Annabeth tiptoes down the hall to Piper's room. Next to her, Piper is the best at first aid. She knocks gently on the door frame before opening the door. In the dim light, she can just make out Piper's form on the bed.

"Piper?" She calls softly. Piper stirs.

"Annabeth?" She whispers, her voice groggy. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"You could say that." Annabeth answers dryly. "I need your help with something. Could you hurry?"

Piper doesn't ask any questions. She must be able to hear the slight note of desperation in Annabeth's voice. She rolls out of bed and stumbles after Annabeth, not bothering to change out of her pajamas. When they enter the infirmary, Annabeth hears Piper suck in a sharp intake of breath at the sight of Percy's back.

"Yeah," she says, "You could _definitely_ say that something's wrong."

Percy's eyes had been closed, his head resting on folded arms, but at the sound of Piper's voice, he opens his eyes and props himself up on his elbows.

"Piper!" He grins. "Come to help fix me up?"

Piper smiles slightly back at him, but Annabeth can see what he's trying to do. He wants to assure her that his back wound isn't as bad as it looks; that he'll be fine. And while Annabeth appreciates his bravado, it definitely irritates her, considering the fact that he most certainly will _not_ be fine unless they do something about his cut.

She sweeps past Piper and smacks Percy on the top of his head.

"Be quiet, Seaweed Brain." She tells him. "I'm still mad at you for not telling me."

Percy rolls his eyes at her, but he keeps quiet.

"Since ambrosia and nectar aren't working, and you just _had_ to make a Primordial mad at you, we're going to have to stitch up your cut. Which is going to hurt." Annabeth informs him. She doesn't want to do it, but it's the only way to help him.

He shrugs, and then winces when the movement jostles his back. "Fine with me. Stitch me up, Dr. Annabeth."

Annabeth continues as if he didn't say anything. "Piper will be helping. Are you okay with that, Piper?" Annabeth notices that Piper looks a little apprehensive, and kind of queasy. "I'll be the one doing the stitching. I just need you here to help wipe away the blood and keep his back clean." After a short hesitation, Piper nods.

"I'll help in any way I can." She says.

"Good." Annabeth says. She grabs the stuff she'll need from the cabinet; needle, thread, and antiseptic. Unfortunately, there's nothing to help with the pain.

Percy has his head resting on his arms and his eyes closed again. He looks for all the world as if he's sleeping, but Annabeth knows better. He has a certain angle to his shoulders, a rigidity in his arms that tells her he's very much awake. Plus the fact that he's not drooling.

Annabeth threads the needle before pouring the antiseptic on his back. His muscles immediately tense, and she can tell it's taking a lot for him to keep from saying anything.

The antiseptic bubbles and mixes with the blood. It looks absolutely gross, and it makes Annabeth's stomach lurch, but she also feels a weird fascination as she watches it.

Piper dabs at the excess antiseptic and blood with a towel. Then it's Annabeth's turn.

She holds the needle in her right hand, hovering over Percy's back. She takes a deep breath to steady herself. And then she starts.

Percy doesn't make a sound throughout the entire thing, but Annabeth swears she can feel him gritting his teeth. She feels bad, knowing she's hurting him, but she also knows that it'll hurt him a lot more if she doesn't stitch it up now.

He starts to relax when she's about halfway done. She doesn't know why, maybe he's just getting used to it, but whatever it is, the pain doesn't seem to bother him as much anymore, and she's grateful for that.

Piper stands off to the side, occasionally using a towel to wipe away the blood still ebbing from his cut. But it seems to be slowing down, so that's good.

When Annabeth finally ties off the last stitch, she leans back and sighs. She goes to wipe her forehead with the back of her hand, but thinks better of it when she realizes that her hand is stained with Percy's blood.

She looks down at her handiwork. The stitches are all neat and even, and she's surprised that she did so well. The blood has pretty much stopped; only a little is seeping from the ends of the cut. She bandages it with gauze and medical tape, and then she's done.

She goes to the sink and washes her hands. Piper throws the stained towels in the trash and starts cleaning up, which Annabeth appreciates. She doesn't feel particularly tired, but she would be fine if she never saw blood ever again. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen. She looks down and notices her hands are shaking a bit.

She dries them on a towel and turns to look at Percy. He's completely relaxed, his breathing deep and even.

"I think he's asleep." Annabeth says. Piper turns to look.

"Yeah, I think so too." She says. Just then, Percy shifts.

"No. 'M 'wake." He tells them without opening his eyes, in a voice that doesn't sound very awake at all. Annabeth and Piper exchange an amused glance.

"In that case, do you want to stay here or go back to your room?" Annabeth asks him. He opens his eyes a bit, thinking. Then he stands up, groaning, and staggers back to his room. Annabeth is pretty sure his eyes are closed. Especially when she hears a muffled thud and then Percy, mumbling something she can't quite make out, but that she's pretty sure is cursing. Piper grins at her.

"I guess that's your answer." She says. She gets a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Why'd he want to go back to his room anyway? Wouldn't it have been easier for him to just have stayed here?"

"Yeah, but he didn't want people to know he was hurt in the first place. He didn't want them to worry. And, now, considering the fact that they're going to find out, he'd rather be in his room, where people can't continuously come and check on him. Plus the fact that, if he's in his room instead of the infirmary, it'll make it seem as if he's less hurt than he is." Annabeth explains. Piper looks at her in admiration.

"How'd you know all that?" She asks.

"I just know Percy." Annabeth answers. She looks around and realizes the room is much brighter than it was when they started. People will be starting to get up soon. "You can go back to bed if you want, Piper."

Piper yawns. "I might just take you up on that. I didn't get much sleep." Annabeth feels a bit guilty hearing that. But Piper doesn't notice. She heads back to her room.

Annabeth goes up on deck. She relaxes, knowing that Percy is going to be fine. She wraps her arms around herself and watches the sun rise.

It's the third day since they first left Rome. They have eleven days to stop Gaea.

**You guys are all so nice and stuff, telling me I sound just like rick riordan and all, but just to clear that up, no, I am not rick riordan under cover. I doubt he would put his ideas on fanfiction, plus the little tiny detail that I am a girl. And he is not.**

**So, yeah.**

**Smileyfaces!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I love you guys so much! you're so sweet! and thanks to joseph for the advice.**

**Yay, I've reached chapter 20! Happy reading!**

**Chapter XX**

_**Frank**_

A ray of sun shines through the window onto Frank's face. He opens his eyes and then squints at the brightness of the sun, raising a hand to shade his face.

He sits up and swings his legs to the floor.

Today is the third day.

He stumbles to the bathroom for a quick shower before heading to the mess hall. Annabeth is the only one there.

"Morning, Frank." She greets him.

"Morning, Annabeth." He replies. She seems a bit distracted to him, staring off into space as she absentmindedly sips from the cup of coffee in her hand. He shrugs. Whatever it is, he's sure she'll figure out what to do about it.

He sits down at his regular seat and sets to eating the poached eggs and bacon on toast that appear on his plate. His favorite breakfast.

As he eats, Leo and Jason join them in the mess hall. Not long after they arrive, Hazel walks through the doorway with a troubled look on her face.

"What's wrong, Hazel?" Frank asks her. She glaces up at him, then shuffles over to sit beside him and looks down at her plate.

"It's nothing." She mumbles. Frank gives her a skeptical look. She sighs. "I'll tell you later." She promises.

When Piper finally shows up, she's still in her pajamas. She has the craziest bedhead Frank has ever seen, and the dark bags under her eyes just serve to make her exhaustion even more pronounced. She stumbles over to her seat next to Jason, and he puts an arm around her shoulders. She leans into him, closing her eyes. Frank wonders if she's going to fall back asleep. But she doesn't. After a few seconds, she sits up straight and starts eating her own food, just like everyone else.

Frank looks around and realizes someone's missing.

"Where's Percy?" He asks. The others all look around too, except for Annabeth, and seem surprised when they don't see him anywhere.

Annabeth sets her coffee down. "Percy," she says, "is resting." Something in her tone warns Frank that there's more going on.

"What, didn't he get enough sleep last night? He went to bed earlier than any of the rest of us." Leo asks.

"Not really, no." Annabeth answers. She doesn't elaborate.

"Why not?" Frank says. Annabeth and Piper share a look. This time, it's Piper who answers.

"Percy was being stupid." She tells them.

"Surprise, surprise." Annabeth comments dryly.

"What do you mean?" It's Jason this time.

Annabeth hesitates. Then she takes a deep breath and starts talking. "When Percy fought Pontus, Pontus cut him across his back. Really bad. He didn't want to tell anyone because he didn't want to worry you guys. He told me, but he forgot to mention that the ambrosia and nectar I gave him weren't working."

"Why didn't the water heal him?" Frank asks.

"Because we're in the Ionian, and Thalassa is controlling the water here. That's Percy's theory, anyway." Annabeth answers.

"Annabeth had to stitch up the cut." Piper shudders visibly. "I helped."

Frank's stomach churns at the thought of it.

"Is he okay now?" Hazel asks.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Actually, he'll probably be up in the next few minutes. He hasn't been sleeping very well. Try not to stare at him like he's about to drop dead, please." Annabeth says.

"Did he sleep in the infirmary last night?" Frank asks.

"No, he went back to his room. Didn't want people gawking at his back."

"As if we would." Leo scoffs.

Just then, Percy walks in.

Everyone stares at him.

Percy takes his seat beside Annabeth, oblivious to the fact that everyone's looking at him.

"Good morning." He says cheerily.

"Morning." Comes the general reply. He glances up suspiciously, seeming to sense that something's off, and everyone hurriedly returns their gaze to their food. He shrugs and digs in to a giant pile of blue waffles. As if that's any surprise.

"So." Annabeth says. "Anyone have any dreams or visions they'd like to share? Piper, have you seen anything in Katoptris recently?"

"Nothing new." Piper replies. "Just the usual things. You know, the Romans gathering forces to attack camp. That's pretty much it."

Annabeth nods, the look on her face grim. "I hope Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge get the statue to camp in time."

"Actually, I wanted to talk about that." Hazel interjects. Everyone looks to her. She looks a little uncomfortable at the attention, but she continues. "I sort of had a dream last night. Except, well, it was really weird..."

When she finishes describing what happened in her dream, the mess hall is completely silent.

"I wonder..." Annabeth says. "Why do you think you could actually physically do something? Do you think it was real?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it was real. I could tell that much. I'm not sure why I could do what I did, though. Maybe it's just something that comes with being able to manipulate the Mist...?" Hazel trails off.

Frank notices her discomfort. "Well, whatever it is, it's pretty cool. You managed to communicate with someone who's all the way across the world. In your _dreams_. That's pretty amazing." He assures her.

"Yeah, I guess..." Hazel says.

"Well, considering you probably saved Nico _and_ Reyna _and_ Coach Hedge, yeah, I'd say it's pretty amazing." Annabeth says. "You know, we really should get in touch with camp and tell them ahead of time, so that they don't freak out when the Athena Parthenos appears in the middle of camp."

"That'd probably be a good idea." Percy agrees. "Although it'd be kind of funny to see their reactions."

Annabeth shoots her boyfriend a look. He ignores it and continues eating.

"Well, now that we've had our daily morning weirdness, I'm going to go work on a few upgrades for the ship." Leo says, abruptly changing the subject. He heads down to the engine room.

After that, the mess hall starts to clear out. Piper goes with Jason for a sword lesson. Annabeth and Percy follow them up on deck, hand in hand.

Frank and Hazel are left alone.

"Are you okay, Hazel?" Frank asks. She looks at him.

"I'm just worried about Nico, that's all." She admits.

"He'll be fine, Hazel. He might not have been thinking things through, but he's not stupid. He'll get everyone to camp safely, including himself." He reassures her. She smiles up at him and takes his hand.

"Thanks, Frank. That means a lot." She leans forward and kisses him, just once, on the lips. Then they sit there in companionable silence, happy with finally being able to get some time alone with each other.

Then the silence is shattered by the sounds of fighting up on deck, followed by a string of curses that makes Hazel's eyes widen.

"Monsters?" She asks.

"Monsters." Frank sighs resignedly. Then they both draw their weapons and race upstairs to join the fight.

**Finally, I got some Frazel in there. **

**Smileyfaces!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, so this chapter is more than a little random, and seems to have strayed from the tone I've been using, but insomnia, writer's block, and not enough caffeine really don't make for a very good combination. Hopefully, the next chapter will be back on track.**

**Thanks to AWESOMEJOB (guest) for the compliments, and no, I did not steal Rick Riordan's manuscript.**

**Smileyfaces! :)**

**Chapter XXI**

_**Hazel**_

When Hazel bursts onto the deck, with Frank right behind her, there's really nothing for them to do. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper have got it under control.

They watch as the flock of gryphons that attacked the ship are driven back. Hazel leans back against the wall, keeping her sword drawn in case a monster should get too close.

"You know, this is kind of nice." She comments. Frank glances at her.

"What is?" He asks.

"Just sitting back and watching others do the fighting. It's like eating junk food while watching someone exercise. It makes you feel a little guilty, but pretty relaxed at the same time." She explains. Frank grins at her.

"Yeah, it is kind of nice. We should do it more often." He puts an arm around her shoulders.

Percy and Annabeth are doing most of the fighting, although not through any fault of Jason or Piper's. They're just freakishly fast. Annabeth is a devil with a sword, which Hazel finds a little curious since she's only ever seen her fight with a dagger. Percy's even better, which really shouldn't be possible. He slashes and hacks with Riptide, turning one monster into dust after another. Roseus jumps from the water behind him, swallowing five gryphons in one bite. It all makes for a pretty intimidating picture. Jason and Piper are basically just killing any monsters that get past Percy and Annabeth, of which there aren't many. Piper's getting pretty good with a sword herself.

Percy notices Frank and Hazel. He grins at them, while fending off a gryphon's talons and beak at the same time.

"Frank! Hazel! Nice of you to join us!" He calls. They both nod in response. "So, are you actually going to do something, or are you just going to stand there?"

Frank looks at Hazel, a smile in his eyes. "I think we'll just watch, thanks." He calls back. Percy shrugs, still grinning.

"Fine with me!" Then he has to roll to avoid getting decapitated by a gryphon that's snuck up behind him. He winces when his back makes contact with the deck.

"Percy!" Annabeth calls exasperatedly.

"Probably shouldn't have done that." Percy mutters, rubbing his back.

"You think?" Annabeth says sarcastically.

Hazel can't help but smile, watching them. They're so sweet together.

After Annabeth sends the last gryphon back to Tartarus, they all stand there, looking at the piles of monster dust all over the deck.

"Clean up time." Annabeth calls.

"I got it!" Percy yells, grinning a mischevious smile that makes Hazel think, _Uh-oh. _Before anyone can stop him, he summons a wave that washes all the dust from the deck-and completely soaks everyone.

"Percy!" Annabeth scolds. She's dripping wet from head to toe. Her eyes flash stormily, but it doesn't affect Percy at all. It just makes him smile wider.

"Aw, come on, Wise Girl. You know you love me." He says.

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean I have to like you." She grumbles, crossing her eyes. Percy rolls his eyes and grabs her hand. Just like that, she's dry.

"Okay, now that's just not fair. How come I can't dry someone with a touch? You have all the cool powers." Frank complains.

"Dude, don't complain. You can shape-shift." Percy tells him. Now it's Annabeth's turn to roll her eyes.

"At least make us dry too then." Frank says. Percy shakes his head, grinning.

"Nope. Girlfriend rights only." He answers.

"Alright, that's _really _not fair. We can't all date you, you know." Jason says, joining in the light banter.

"Hmmmm..." Percy taps his chin thoughtfully. Annabeth punches him. "Kidding, kidding." He fake yelps, raising his hands in surrender. Everyone laughs.

Percy leans on his sword. "So. That was fun. Who's up for round two?"

Hazel's confused. "What do you mean? There aren't any more monsters..." She trails off. She doesn't like the look Percy's giving her. At all.

"Who said anything about monsters?" He asks, widening his eyes innocently. Than he grins and raises Riptide, twirling it through the air. "Sparring, anyone?"

"You're on." Jason says, raising his own sword.

"Count me in." Frank adds, drawing his own weapon.

The girls all roll their eyes this time. "We'll watch." Annabeth tells them. Piper and Hazel nod in agreement. They all sit together by Festus, leaning back and relaxing.

The boys look at each other and shrug. Hazel smiles as she watches Frank and Jason start to circle Percy, sizing him up, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Throughout it all, Percy is completely relaxed, his muscles loose and fluid, even when Frank or Jason disappear behind his back, where he can't see them.

"I hope Percy doesn't hurt them too badly." Annabeth whispers. Hazel and Piper giggle. But even knowing that Percy's the best fighter on the _Argo II_, Hazel can't help but think that he'll have a harder time beating Frank and Jason than either he or Annabeth knows. Especially since he just got back from Tartarus a few days ago. Hazel can still see the effects of Tartarus in both Percy and Annabeth. Who knows, maybe Frank and Jason could actually beat him this time.

Hazel felt a little guilty for her thoughts. But if Frank and Jason beat Percy, it wouldn't necessarily mean that Percy wasn't as good; it could also mean that Frank and Jason were getting better. And they needed to.

Frank finally makes the first move, circling behind Percy and then turning into a lion. He creeps on silent paws towards Percy's back, but before he can do anything, Percy suddenly spins around and jumps over Frank's head, kicking off of his back. Frank roars indignantly, and turns back into a human to face Percy again.

But now Frank had lost his chance, because Jason is attacking. He feints towards Percy's left and then quickly thrusts at his right, but Percy anticipates the move and parries. For a few seconds, Percy only plays defense, blocking Jason's every move with Riptide. Then he goes on the attack.

Jason stumbles backwards from the force of Percy's blows. Hazel watches in amazement as Percy uses his sword to twist Jason's own out of his grip and into the air. When it comes back down, Percy catches it in his left hand. Percy points the tip of Riptide at Jason's undefended chest and does the same to Frank, who was starting to sneak up behind him again, with Jason's sword.

Hazel is silent in shock. If anything, Percy has gotten better since going through Tartarus. He just defeated two of the best demigod warriors in under three minutes.

Percy lowers the swords in his hands and smiles. He hands Jason back his sword and then leans on his own. "You guys are getting better. But you still need to learn how to fight as a team. Know exactly what the other is going to do at all times. Plan every move with each other before you make it."

"I don't really get it." Piper whispers to Hazel.

"If you want, Annabeth and I can give you a demonstration." Percy says, as if he'd heard Piper. He turns to his girlfriend. "Annabeth?"

She nods and springs to her feet, already drawing her sword. "So." She says, looking around. "Who wants to be on the other team?"

"How about all four of them?" Percy suggests. "That is, if they don't mind."

Hazel wasn't entirely sure this was a good idea. But she climbed to her feet and unsheathed her weapon. Piper did the same next to her.

Jason, Frank, Piper, and Hazel form a semicircle opposite of Annabeth and Percy. They don't look in the least bit worried.

The four look at each other warily. Then they attack all at once.

Percy grins. "Now you're talking!" He shouts as he ducks underneath Piper's sword and blocks Jason's.

Hazel and Frank go after Annabeth, intending to keep her and Percy separated. But Annabeth anticipates their plan and somehow maneuvers around them, fighting back to back with Percy.

Now Hazel gets to see what being a team really means.

Percy and Annabeth are hyper aware of each other. They seem to be able to sense exactly what the other is going to do before they do it, even though they can't see each other. They move as one, and they are so attuned to each other that it's as if they can read each other's minds. They move so quickly Hazel can't keep track of their swords, but every strike, every move, is perfect, timed exactly right, going exactly where it was intended. Occasionally, they'll switch places to take Hazel and the others by surprise, but never, not once, do they open themselves up for an attack.

It takes a little longer this time, maybe five minutes instead of three, but the end result is the same. Percy and Annabeth win. They disarm Piper, Jason, and Frank in quick succession, and then Annabeth's sword slips past Hazel's guard to rest against her throat.

"And that," Percy says, barely winded, "is how you fight as a team."

**Review, guys! Please! Because hearing from people that have read my story and actually liked it is great. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**thanks very, very, **_**very**_** much to the people who reviewed!**

**Special thanks to:**

**iShadowedRose, and I will try to do what you asked. It's a pretty good idea.**

**Also to:**

**Daughter of the Lion, and I assure you I have no plans to ever delete this story.**

**Happy reading!**

**Chapter XXII**

_**Leo**_

Ogygia was really starting to frustrate Leo. He'd ran it through his databases so many times he'd lost count. He even has Festus searching for it and everything. But no matter how many times he'd tried, he couldn't find it. And the astrolabe is no help. He'd devoted most of his spare time to fixing it, but it's like something is missing. He just can't fix it right.

He sighs and tosses the astrolabe on his table for what must be the hundredth time. His promise echoes in his head.

_I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx._

He knew it was an idiotic promise to make, what with the Prophecy and the fact that no man had ever found Ogygia twice. But he hadn't cared at the time. He still didn't care, not really. He _was _going to find Calypso. He was going to free her. And consequences be damned.

He rubs his eyes and yawns. He's been staying up pretty much every night to work on the astrolabe-plus a million other things. He hadn't exactly had time to sleep. He knows that he needs to. It's just that every time he lays down or takes a break, he feels guilty, like he should be doing something. It's like if he's not working every second he's being lazy. Which he's not.

He leans back in his chair and stretches. Then he glares at the astrolabe where it sits uselessly on the table.

"Stupid thing." He mutters. Usually, he has a sense for how to fix things. He can know exactly what's wrong with something and have it fixed in no time at all. But not this time. The stupid astrolabe just doesn't want to be fixed.

He sets it to the side and starts working on the blueprints for the ship's upgrades. He scribbles random notes here and there, and no one else would have any idea what he meant, but he understands everything he writes.

As he works, his mind starts to wander, although his hands absentmindedly continue his sketches.

He thinks about a lot of things. Whether the upgrades will actually work, if this whole quest is for nothing, whether he'll survive the fight with Gaea or not. Is he the one in the prophecy? Will he be the one to defeat Gaea? Or will he die trying?

But mostly, he thinks about Calypso. About her cinnamon smell. Her long, golden brown hair. Her beautiful dark almond eyes and pale skin. How she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Her strength. How she loved and hated him at the same time.

And then he starts to wonder about that last part. Did Calypso really love him? Did she even want him to come back?

But he pushes those thoughts away. The look in her eyes...Leo knew she wanted to get out of that place. She wanted to be free. And even if she didn't want to be with him when she was, well, he was going to get her out anyway. Because he cares about her.

Leo looks down at his blueprints. And stares. While he was thinking, he drew a remarkably realistic picture of Calypso. Her eyes peer up at him from the paper, so lifelike it's as if it was a photograph.

A painful ache builds in Leo's chest. He feels tears start to well up in his eyes, and blinks rapidly. He shoves the drawing into one of the table's drawers, then rests his head in his hands.

He'd spent so many times feeling like the seventh wheel in this quest. So completely useless. And knowing that the _Argo _could barely function without him didn't really make him feel any better. He felt so alone. Jason had Piper, Percy had Annabeth, and Frank had Hazel-even if Leo had wished it was otherwise.

But then he found Calypso. He'd liked her, really liked her. And the miraculous thing was, she liked him back. You know, after she got over hating his guts. And then he had to leave her. She was trapped on Ogygia, and Leo had a big part to play in the quest. He was needed elsewhere. And according to Calypso, no man ever found Ogygia twice.

But he would be the first. He promised himself that. He _would_ find Ogygia. He had to. And then he was going to get Calypso out of there.

His head droops towards the table, and he feels his eyes start to close. He's exhausted. His last thought before he lets himself drift into sleep is of Calypso.

_Leo stands on the shores of Ogygia. The soft white sand glitters in the sun. But Leo isn't interested in the beach. He's more interested in the person that's walking on it._

_ "Calypso," he whispers, his voice soft as a breath of wind. She sits in the sand, staring out at the horizon. Her face is devoid of all expression. _

_ Leo knows it's only a dream. She won't be able to see or hear him. But for the moment, he doesn't care. He walks over and sits beside her, watching her face._

_ The wind ruffles her hair and blows a strand of it into her eyes. Leo has to resist the urge to reach over and brush it behind her ear. It wouldn't work anyway. _

_ He's so close, yet still so far away. _

_ Suddenly Calypso sighs, and it's the saddest sound Leo's ever heard. She swipes at her eyes and then stares at her hands where they rest in her lap. A tear falls onto her arm. _

_ Leo wants so badly to reach out and comfort her. To tell her that he's coming back for her. That she won't be alone for much longer. But he can't._

_ She lays down and stares up at the sky. Leo does the same next to her. The sky really is beautiful; a perfect blue color so bright it seems like it shouldn't be real. Fluffy white clouds float across the endless blue. _

_ Leo looks back at Calypso. Her eyes are infinite pools of sadness; ancient, fragile, yet beautiful. They glisten with tears that don't fall._

_ "I will see you again, Leo Valdez." Leo shivers when she says his name. It's as if she can sense his presence. "I swear it on the River Styx."_

_ Leo worries briefly about the prophecy. _An oath to keep with a final breath..._But no, that can't be Calypso. She's immortal. Besides, she's stuck on Ogygia. He jumps and sits up quickly when he hears a voice from behind them._

Oh, my dear Calypso, it pains me to see you like this._ Leo knows that voice. He turns slowly, shaking with anger._

_ Gaea stands by the trees, her earthen robes swirling around her. Her eyes are half open now. Calypso doesn't move from where she lays on the beach._

_ "Leave me, Grandmother. Ogygia is still my home. You are trespassing." She says tiredly._

_ Gaea shakes her head sadly. _Why do you pine for the boy? He is nothing. He is not even handsome. I don't understand you, dear girl. Why do you continue to torture yourself like this? Join me, and I will free you from this prison.

_Calypso jumps to her feet, her eyes blazing with anger. "How dare you?! How dare you trespass in _my_ home and then tell me that the boy I love is _nothing_?! He is _everything_!" _

_ Leo's heart skips a beat. She said she loved him. She was defending him against Gaea. She said she loved _him_. Unless she was talking about some other boy._

_ "And I ask again, if you care so much for me, where were you the last three thousand years? Why do you come only now?" Calypso continues, her voice growing in volume with every word._

And as I told you before, the earth is slow to wake. _Gaea answers calmly. _Join the winning side, Calypso. Maybe I'll even let the boy you seem to care so much about live.

_"Never. Not if I have to spend the rest of eternity imprisoned. And you are not the winning side, Grandmother. You will lose this war. And I will have helped to win it, by loving Leo Valdez." Calypso's voice is deadly calm now. She radiates power. "Leave, Grandmother. As long as I am here, you will not be welcome." _

_ Leo can see the anger in Gaea's face, even if she's still half asleep. But her form dissipates into nothingness, the sand once more scattering in the wind. He can just hear a whisper of her voice reverberate up from the ground._

You will regret this..._She says. _

_ Calypso draws a shaky breath and turns back to the horizon. _

_ "I love you, Leo Valdez, wherever you may be." She says to the air. Leo gets as close to her as possible, breathing in her cinnamon scent._

_ "I love you too, Calypso." He whispers to her, looking directly into the eyes that stare right through him. And he brushes his lips against hers, even if she can't feel it._

_ But for a moment, it seems that she does. Shock registers on her face, and her eyes focus on him for a few seconds._

_ "Leo." She breathes. She reaches for him, but his dream is already fading away._

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Smileyfaces to everyone (because I'm feeling generous today)! :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Here's a Nico chapter! Next is Reyna, which I already have finished, and then we'll have a POV that I've never done before.**

**Because I like trying new things. And also because someone requested it.**

**But, anyway, I've decided not to tell you who it will be. Because I'm evil like that. :)**

**Happy reading!**

**Chapter XXIII**

_**Nico**_

Nico was surprised at himself. He hadn't laughed like that since...since he didn't know when. A while. Something about Reyna relaxes him, makes him feel at home in his own skin for once, which is definitely an accomplishment. Maybe it's because she's someone who knows what it is to be alone.

He sneaks a glance at Reyna as she walks next to him. Her face has been carefully wiped clean of emotion, but Nico can see some emotion that bubbles just beneath the surface. Excitement, maybe? She walks with a slight bounce in her step that wasn't there before, and her shouders are straighter, as if a weight has been lifted off of them. She seems almost giddy.

That's another thing that surprises Nico. Reyna is usually so strict, so carefully neutral. But now she seems freer, lighter, happier. Even though she's on a quest that could and quite possibly would lead to her death.

As he's thinking this, Reyna turns and catches Nico staring. He starts to look away, ashamed, but her eyes catch his and hold them. She smiles.

"Wanna have some fun?" She asks, whispering so as not to alert the monsters near them to their presence. Nico shrugs his shoulders noncommittedly. Reyna bends down and picks up a decent sized rock, bouncing it on her palm. Then she hurls it at the nearest monster-which just happens to be a Laistrygonian giant-with surprising strength.

It hits him in the forehead with a meaty _smack_, and the giant roars in rage, clapping a hand to his forehead and looking around for the thrower. His eyes come to rest on another Laistrygonian giant, nowhere near Reyna and Nico. He walks over to the other giant, and without another word, starts pummeling him.

Next to him, Reyna stifles a giggle. He looks at her, amused, and picks up a rock of his own.

He hits a Cyclops right in the eye. And thus begins another brawl.

Reyna steals a spear that's leaning against one of the tents and uses it to whack a dracaenae in the head. Then she puts the spear beside a Cyclops and watches as the two start to fight.

Nico and Reyna continue to do this as they walk through the camp, and soon the whole place is in chaos. It's very satisfying to see the monsters fighting amongst themselves, weakening-and even killing-each other.

Nico can feel himself grinning like an idiot, but at least he's not the only one. Reyna has a huge, silly smile plastered on her face too. And then it disappears, quickly replaced by a cold anger that scares Nico a little. She stops dead in her tracks, glaring daggers at a huge, gaudy red and gold tent that's much bigger than all the others. Nico's own smile fades.

"I'm guessing that's Sinis' tent?" He asks. She nods. "Doesn't think much of himself, does he?" Nico mutters sarcastically. Reyna glances at him sharply, but a sparkle in her eye lets him know that she's not really irritated. "Well, come on then, let's go get your sword and Coach Hedge's baseball bat."

"If Sinis is there, I'm going to kill him." She says, her voice deadly calm. Nico waves his hand at her impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Can we go in now? The sooner we get out of here, the better." He says. She walks forward, taking quick, crisp strides towards the tent. Her back is perfectly straight, her head held high, and even without her cape or sword, she radiates an aura of command that leaves Nico a little bit in awe.

He follows her quickly, lacking her air of command but making up for it with the power that he can feel rolling of him. The little grass left on the path turns gray and brittle where he steps. It takes all of his effort to keep from accidentally summoning the dead. Which would not be good in this particular situation.

They enter the tent to find it empty. Reyna seems disappointed, but she brightens when she spots her sword on the other side of the tent, next to Coach Hedge's baseball bat. They walk over, and Reyna picks up her sword at the same time that Nico picks up the baseball bat. But as soon as they do, the shadows concealing them from view disappear.

"What-?" Nico starts confusedly. Then he stops. He can sense some sort of spell on the weapons they're both holding. Something that's not letting his invisibility thing work. He drops the bat immediately, but the damage is already done. He can't get the shadows back.

"Reyna, what are we going to do? How are we going to sneak back through the camp to Coach Hedge? The shadow thing isn't working anymore. Reyna? Reyna?!" She's staring off into space, her eyes glazed over slightly, far off in her thoughts. Nico wonders briefly what she could be thinking about that would make her so distracted, but then her gaze clears and she looks at him.

"Sinis knew. I don't know how, but he knew." She says.

"But how is that possible? He didn't see me; I know that much. He never even looked in my direction. And how could you have gotten free on your own?"

"I couldn't have." She admits.

"So how could he have known you were going to escape and try to get your sword back? And why would he put a spell on them? I didn't even know I could do the whole shadow invisibility thing until a few minutes ago! There's no way he could have known before I did. Is there?" Nico asks uncertainly.

Reyna shakes her head. "I don't know, Nico. We have been walking on the earth; maybe Gaea heard and told him. Although why she'd bother talking to Sinis, I wouldn't know."

"Why are all these monsters here in the first place?" Nico asks. It'd been bothering him for quite a while, but he hadn't asked because he didn't think she would know.

"Oh, that I know. Sinis loved talking about his plans. The pig. They're all on their way to attack Camp Half-Blood." She says, her lip curling up in disgust. Nico hopes it's towards Sinis, and not the camp.

"But why? Camp Jupiter is already planning to attack. Why would they need to attack as well? Gaea is so sure they're going to destroy each other." Nico wonders out loud.

"Because there will still be survivors. Even if there aren't that many left alive after the two camps fight, there will still be some. And Gaea wants them all to be utterly destroyed. So she's sending Sinis, along with his army of monsters, to attack them both while they're weak." Reyna explains.

A feeling of dread curls around Nico's stomach. Gaea really has thought of everything. But then, she's had thousands of years to plan. Nico quells his feeling of foreboding and reassures himself that it will never happen anyway. Because he, Reyna, and Coach Hedge are going to make it to camp in time. They're already so close. And they still have-what is it? Eleven days now?-to do it.

"We need to find a way to stop them. Somehow." He mutters. Reyna nods.

"I'm not entirely sure how we'll manage to accomplish that, but yeah, we need to. Although our little bit of fun on the way here might have helped matters for us a bit. If we're lucky, they'll destroy half the army before someone gets them under control."

"Yeah. Luck. Not really my strong suit." Nico says, his voice slightly bitter.

"Mine either." Reyna agrees. "Which means we should probably find a few other ways to at least slow them down. Any ideas?"

"No..." But then, suddenly, he does have an idea. "Wait. We might not be able to do much on our own, but with a little help..."

He explains his plan to her in detail. She nods thoughtfully as he speaks, and a dangerous light in her eyes brightens.

"That's actually a pretty good idea. And you're sure you'll still be able to shadow-travel after this?" She questions.

"Probably not very far, but enough so that we're safe from these guys." Nico assures her. She nods again.

"Good, good." She seems a little disappointed that his plan doesn't involve killing Sinis, but then, looking around, her face lights up. "Could we burn Sinis' tent before we go?"

Nico shrugs. "Sure, why not." Reyna grins wickedly.

"Perfect." She says.

"We should probably go ahead and get started. I want to leave this place before nightfall." Nico tells her. Then a cruel, rough male voice speaks from behind them.

"Oh, I assure you, Son of Hades, you won't be leaving before nightfall. In fact, I daresay you will never leave at all."

**Okay, I really need a better catchphrase or sign-off or whatever you want to call it. 'Happy reading' just doesn't seem to capture all the weirdness and randomness that is me. Any suggestions?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Reyna chapter! Next is the super secret special POV!**

**Can anyone guess who it is?**

**Oh, and chapter 22 sort of explains where Leo was in chapter 21. He was in his room. Being antisocial and dreaming of Calypso.**

**Just so you know.**

**Chapter XXIV**

_**Reyna**_

"Sinis," Reyna growls, her face going from open and relaxed to cold and hard in seconds. Hatred burns in her eyes. But a cautioning look from Nico warns her not to attack. Not yet.

"Oh, no need to get testy with me, my dear. I have kept you alive, after all. Were it up to the monsters, you would have died before you ever had a chance to set eyes on this camp." Sinis says, his tone cheerful. "You should be thanking me."

"Why would I thank the one who kept me prisoner?" Reyna demands angrily.

"As I've already told you, my dear, I've kept you alive. Even if it was on Gaea's orders." Sinis explains impatiently.

"Why would Gaea want to keep Reyna alive? She hates Reyna." Nico glances at the praetor of Rome. "No offense." He adds apoligetically. Reyna waves it away. She's used to being hated. Or at least disliked.

"Because she knew you would come after her. Not necessarily out of sentimentality, of course, but because you need her to reconcile the gods' Greek and Roman halves. Pity, that. I've heard they all have terrible headaches. I would have rathered they were lucid when we destroyed them, but no matter." Sinis answers.

"You aren't going to destroy them. We're going to get the Athena Parthenos to camp, and the Seven of the Great Prophecy will stop Gaea's rise in Greece. Her forces will be destroyed." Nico states confidently.

Sinis stares at them for a few seconds, his eyes glittering with some unreadable emotion. Then he throws back his head and laughs.

"Look around, demigods! You will not be escaping. _You_ are on the losing team." He tells them.

Now it's Reyna's turn to laugh. "You think _we're_ the ones on the losing team? Seriously? The Seven are the most powerful demigods in decades. They've already defeated most of the giants at least once. On their own. And this time, they'll be fighting as a team. And we're no slackers either. We've still got quite a few tricks up our sleeves."

Sinis is unbothered by her comments. "I doubt it. Besides, even if you did, my dear girl, how would you manage to escape from a camp that contains thousands of monsters? Hmmmm? Well, tell me. I'd love to know."

"It'll be easy as pie. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the biggest reason our escape will be so easy, though." Reyna says.

"And what would that be?" Sinis smiles, clearly just humoring her.

Reyna resents the way he treats her like a child. "Because the so-called leader of this camp is nothing but a bandit, an outlaw. You're a _pig_, Sinis, and I have no clue what made Gaea decide to make you leader. The monsters will never follow a mortal, anyway, and you know it."

Sinis' hideous face becomes even more hideous as his carefree facade finally slips. He turns purple with anger, and satisfaction curls inside Reyna. She finally succeeded in truly angering the man.

"Oh, dear girl, you will pay for your words. Many times over." He says, his voice low with barely suppressed anger.

Reyna wants him to lose control. Then she'd have an excuse to finally attack. After all, Nico couldn't fault her for defending herself, could he?

"I highly doubt it." Reyna says cheerfully. "Because, you see, you'd have to catch me again for that to work, and that's not gonna happen."

"It happened once, why not again?" Sinis counters.

"Because I'm ready now. I'm expecting it. Plus, I really, really want to kill you. I won't hold back this time." She answers, her tone still ridiculously happy, as if she were discussing puppies and kittens instead of killing someone.

"You could never defeat me, child. Never. I am infinitely stronger than you." Sinis boasts. Reyna looks him over critically.

"Maybe. But I'm definitely better looking." She says.

Sinis splutters with rage. As he searches for words to express his anger, Nico catches Reyna and nods once.

_On three._ He mouths. She nods.

"How dare you, you insolent little-!" Sinis doesn't seem to be able to think of an insult horrible enough.

_One._ Nico raises a finger.

"I'll have your head for this, _girl_." He spits the last word as if it's the most terrible thing in the world.

_Two._ Nico raises a second finger. Reyna's muscles tense in anticipation.

Sinis draws his weapon, a heavy spike-studded club that he keeps strapped to his back. "You will both die." He snarls.

_Three._ Nico counts off, and just as Sinis lunges, the ground erupts between them. Skeletal warriors claw their way out of the earth, wave after wave of undead soldiers. They advance towards Sinis, who happens to be blocking the exit.

Reyna, not wanting someone else to have the pleasure of killing Sinis, raises her sword and sprints around the edge of the group of skeletons, facing him.

He glares at her, and hefts his club.

"You will be the first demigod I've killed since I returned from the Underworld. You should be honored." He growls.

"I don't think so, Sinis. In fact, I think you should be the one feeling honored, since you're going to be killed by a daughter of Bellona." Reyna says.

Sinis hefts his club, but before he has a chance to strike, Reyna whirls into action. She steps forward and casually flicks her sword forward, slicing his club in half. She thrusts forward, but Sinis just manages to catch it on the handle of his now useless club. She pulls back and feints towards his neck.

As she hoped, he's so scared of the fact that he doesn't have a weapon to counter her with that he falls for it, and she switches the direction of her blade at the last moment and cuts off his hand.

He howls with pain and grabs the stump of his arm, glaring up at her with an undisguised mixture of fear and hatred in his eyes. He reaches for a spare spear that's leaning against the canvas wall of his tent, but he doesn't get a chance to reach it. Reyna's sword is already on its way.

Her sword cuts through skin, muscle, and bone as if it were butter. Sinis' look of horror freezes on his face, and he disintegrates before his top half hits the ground.

At other times, Reyna might feel a little disgusted and guilty. But Sinis deserved much worse.

She turns to Nico, and he's staring at her with some unreadable expression on his face. Then he shakes his head slowly.

"That was...terrifying. Remind me never to get on your bad side." He says. Reyna grins.

"Who says you aren't already on it?" She teases. Then she races out of the tent, leading the way for the army of undead behind her.

**This is a little shorter than usual, and I apologize for that, but I wrote that last part and my brain just went, "Whoa. You have to stop there. That's the perfect ending." And I protested and told my brain that it wasn't long enough yet, but my brain won the argument.**

**Funny how that works. :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Yay! Super secret POV chapter!**

**We got out of school two hours early today, because of snow and ice, so you might get a double update today! (If I'm in a generous mood) **

**Tell me what you think! Please!**

**Chapter XXV**

_**Calypso**_

It's lonely on Ogygia. It always is.

Calypso should be used to it by now. After all, she's spent three thousand years in exile. She should be reclusive and bitter from all the times she's had her heart broken. And at times, she is. But she knows that nothing is going to change her situation, and that includes becoming hateful. She'd much rather be known for her kindness anyway. Not the way she broke after the Fates played with her heart one too many times.

And yet, thinking back on her latest visitor, it takes all of her willpower not to shatter into a million pieces.

_Leo_. His curly hair, elfish features, and dark eyes fill her thoughts night and day. He might be a little scrawny, but to Calypso, he was the most handsome boy she'd ever met.

Maybe she's prejudiced a little, considering the fact that he was the first one not to have a girlfriend. But she didn't care. She wanted him to come back. But she knew it was impossible. No man ever finds Ogygia twice.

She doubts that she'll ever love anyone else. With Odysseus, and Drake, and Percy, they all had someone else to love them. But Leo, he doesn't. Oh, she knows he has friends that love him. But no girlfriend. So she can't tell herself that he'll forget all about her and be happy with his girlfriend. Because he doesn't have one.

She loves him. No matter how hard she tried, how much she fought, she still fell in love again. Now she'll spend years pining after a boy that she'll probably never see again.

Oh, she wants to. So, so much. That's why she made that promise. But she knows it's unlikely to ever happen. She has no way off this accursed island, her beautiful prison.

She stares at the sun as it sets on the horizon. Dazzling streaks of color light up the sky. Before, she might have found its beauty soothing. Now, though, it just makes her heart ache more.

She sighs and starts to walk slowly back to her garden. Her flowers, at least, still bring her peace. Especially the moonlace. And since it will soon be nightfall, she can walk among them and admire their soft silver glow.

When she gets there, the stars are already starting to shine overhead. She looks up at them. They've been her only constant friends throughout her years of imprisonment. She studies them intently. She knows every single one of them by heart. Every single star. She's memorized the night sky.

She sighs and looks away from them. They remind her of the mischevious twinkle Leo always has in his eyes. Which is ridiculous, but she's in love. And love isn't exactly normal. Or sane. And it doesn't make much sense either.

She almost laughs out loud at the truth of her last thought. Love definitely doesn't make any sense.

Her moonlace flowers glow softly with a gentle, ethereal light. They calm her raging thoughts and soothe her aching heart. She kneels down and cups one in the palm of her hand, tilting it towards her face. She strokes the delicate petals with a finger.

She tells herself that Leo's leaving was for the best. How could they ever be together anyway? He is mortal, and Calypso is immortal. She will outlive him by many years.

It's not that she had a choice in the matter. If she did, she would give up her immortality to be with Leo in a heartbeat. But she was born a goddess, not made. Living for so long without even someone to share it with...that was the greatest cause of all of Calypso's pain. Immortality definitely isn't at all as good as it's made out to be. Percy was smart when he refused it.

Percy...there's another cause of heartache. Not so much anymore, but for several years, he was all she could think about. The final straw was when the gods made their promise...and she still remained in prison. That was when she had decided she would never love again. Her heart had been abused one too many times.

And then Leo came along. She tried so hard to hate him, not to let herself get close to him. She fought it this time. But the end result was the same as ever. She fell in love, and as soon as she let herself fall, he had to leave.

She has more reason than anyone to hate the gods, but not all of them are bad. Hephaestus visits her when he can, bringing her news of the outside world. And he isn't the only one.

Calypso isn't a violent person. Not usually. Okay, so she threw pots and pans at Leo's head when he poked his head into her cave that one time, but she wasn't actually aiming for him. If she had been, she wouldn't have missed. But that's not the point. The point is that she would never lift her hand against someone in anger. She might have backed her father Atlas in the first Titan war, but that didn't mean that she _liked_ war. She hated it. But he was her father, and he could be very persuasive at times. Plus, she just wanted it to end. She wanted the battles to cease.

It didn't happen that way, though. The Titans lost the battle against the gods, and Calypso was imprisoned. And even then, she was told stories of the Giant War which came soon after the fall of the Titans.

Would the violence never end? Would they never live in peace?

Calypso was lucky, in a way. She didn't have to personally live through all the fights. But the alternative, being imprisoned on Ogygia for three thousand years, isn't much better. In fact, Calypso would definitely say it is much, much worse.

She sighs and stands up, brushing the dirt from her dress. Then she walks into her cave and lays down on her bed, looking at the crystals embedded in the walls.

She closes her eyes and lets herself drift to sleep. At least in her dreams, she can be with Leo.

**Okay, so this is super short (by my standards at least), but it's my first ever Calypso POV, so what can you expect?**

**Plus, there really isn't much for her to do on Ogygia except walk on the beach, tend to her garden, and pine after Leo.**

**So, short chapter. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Double update today! I guess I am feeling generous. **

**But I do have something to ask of you guys. I want to have ten more reviews before the next time I update. Otherwise, you'll have to wait.**

**I know, I know, it's a lot to ask. For you guys, at least. Slackers. :p**

**But ten reviews really isn't that many. So you'll just have to stop being lazy and **_**actually review**_**. **

**Yes, I know I'm evil. No, I don't care.**

**Ten reviews, you guys. **_**TEN.**_** That's all I'm asking.**

**Chapter XXVI**

_**Percy**_

So, Percy is fighting monsters again. More gryphons, to be exact. But he's actually kind of having fun.

Okay, the whole swinging-on-ropes-through-the-rigging thing is a lot more than just fun. And watching the gryphons run into each other midair when they fly away from Annabeth in panic definitely has its perks.

But his all time favorite part has to be the look on Frank's face when he comes up the stairs.

"Heads up!" Percy yells, swinging low to behead the gryphon that is trying to behead Frank. Frank ducks just in time and turns to see Percy as he swings away.

His expression is priceless. Percy wishes he had a camera.

"Hey, Frank. Nice of you to join us!" Annabeth calls cheerfully as she slices another gryphon into dust.

"Why is Percy swinging on ropes?" Frank asks.

"Because it's fun! You should try it, Frank. Wanna come up?" Percy shouts down, grinning.

"Uh, no thanks." Frank says.

Annabeth shrugs. "Suit yourself. It really is fun, Percy already took me up twice."

Frank stares at her, and then up at Percy, and then he looks around at the gryphons still attacking the ship. Then he shakes his head and walks back down the stairs.

Percy drops onto the deck next to Annabeth.

"What was that all about?" He wonders.

Annabeth turns to him with a twinkle in her eyes, smiling. "No idea." She says. "Come on, I want to fly again."

"Fine with me." Percy grins. He grabs her around the waist and jumps, summoning one of the ropes to his hand. And they go swinging through the flock of gryphons, making it rain monster dust onto the deck below them.

It's a little random. But the whole thing makes Percy smile.

When all of the gryphons have been sent back to Tartarus, Percy gently sets them back on the deck. He looks around, a little disappointed that all the gryphons are gone. Now they have nothing to do.

"What now?" Annabeth asks, echoing his thoughts. He's at a loss as to what to say when an idea pops into his head. He grins.

"Wanna climb the rigging-" He starts to suggest.

"And sit on top of the mast?" Annabeth finishes.

"Of course." He says. She grins back at him.

"Sounds like fun." She answers. They make their way over to it and start climbing side by side. It reminds Percy of rope climbing class at Camp Half-Blood.

They're having fun. And Percy hasn't thought of Tartarus at all.

_Idiot. _Percy scolds himself. _Now you're going to start thinking about it._

And, of course, he does. But they aren't necessarily bad memories. He thinks about when he made Annabeth laugh while they were swimming in the Cocytus. And when he, Annabeth, and Bob took a break at the shrine of Hermes.

_Bob..._Percy's thoughts turn sad. His smile disappears. If only he'd convinced Annabeth to let him stay. Then...maybe...Oh, who was he kidding, he'd be long dead. But at least he wouldn't feel so awful. He let Bob and Damasen die for him.

Annabeth, climbing beside him, notices his sudden melancholy and nudges him with her elbow.

"What's wrong, Percy?" She asks. But Percy doesn't want to ruin her good mood too.

"Nothing." He says. "Come on, I'll race you to the top."

He starts climbing as fast as he can, but Annabeth beats him anyway. She's had more practice.

"Ha! I win!" She shouts, sitting on the top of the mast. Percy has to sit in the rigging. Or, more acurately, turn around, hook his feet through the rope, and lean back in the rigging.

Annabeth closes her eyes and flings out her arms as if to embrace the world. She breathes in deeply through her nose and smiles.

Percy watches her. The wind whips her hair around her face and makes it flow out behind her. The look on her face is so peaceful, so _happy_, that Percy can't help but smile too. She's so beautiful.

She lowers her arms and opens her eyes to find Percy staring at her with a soft, tender expression in his eyes. He doesn't look away. Instead, he leans towards her and entwines his fingers with hers.

"I love you, Wise Girl." He murmurs.

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain." She whispers back. Then she kisses him gently on the lips. They're interrupted by someone yelling up at them.

"What in Hades are you two _doing_?!" Leo shouts, his hands on his hips. Percy pulls back with a groan and glares down at Leo's small figure far below them.

"Kissing!" He calls back.

"Percy!" Annabeth smacks his shoulder. He looks up in mock surprise.

"What? We were." He says innocently. Annabeth just rolls her eyes.

"Do you need something?" She shouts down to Leo.

"Yes! I need you to get down so I don't have to worry about you falling and making a mess on my deck!" He yells.

Percy thinks about that for a second and then gets a dangerously mischevious look in his eyes. He looks at Annabeth with a grin that she knows all too well.

"Do you want to?" He asks. Annabeth immediately knows what he's talking about. Her eyes start to twinkle.

"Should we?" She says.

"Why not?" Percy shrugs.

"Okay, fine. You better not drop me." She warns him. He smiles.

"Never, Wise Girl." He promises. "Coming!" He yells to Leo. Then, at exactly the same time, holding hands, Annabeth and Percy jump into the air.

The air whistles past them, and Annabeth laughs in delight.

Percy flashes back on their fall into Tartarus. But this is different. This time, they jumped. And they're not going to Tartarus. They're having fun.

At exactly the moment before they would smash into the deck and become demigod pancakes, Percy grabs one of the ropes and they swing around once before jumping to the deck in front of Leo.

He's staring at them in shock, his mouth wide open.

"You-you just-gods of Olympus! I'm going to kill you two!" He says, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

"Nah. You'd have to catch us first." Percy waves away the threat. It's not like Leo would ever actually kill them. "Anything you wanted us to do? Or did you just want to ruin our fun?"

Leo just continues staring at them. Then he mutters, "Frank was right. You've both lost it."

"If that's the case, I really like being crazy. 'Cause it's pretty dang fun." Percy tells him cheerily.

"Gotta agree with Percy on this one. Being crazy is definitely entertaining." Annabeth says. She hooks her arm through Percy's. "Come on, Seaweed Brain, let's do something else. Any insane ideas?"

Percy thinks about it for a second. "Nothing completely crazy, but how about a picnic? Sounds like fun to me. And I'm hungry."

Annabeth rolls her eyes at him. "You're always hungry." But she doesn't object. "Can I take a shower first, though? I want to wash the monster dust out of my hair."

Percy shrugs. "Fine with me. It'll give me time to set up our lovely picnic spot." Annabeth narrows her eyes at him suspiciously. He just widens his eyes innocently. "What? Don't you trust me?"

"No." She mutters. Percy gives her his signature puppy-dog eyes. She caves in less than ten seconds. "Fine. But don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Me? Do something stupid? Never." Percy grins. Annabeth gives him a look like, _Why did I ever agree to this?_ And then she turns and walks quickly down the stairs.

Percy starts right away, running all over to make sure he has everything he needs. He takes a brief break when he's halfway finished and grins at the empty sky.

"This is gonna be perfect." He says. Leo turns from the controls and gives him a weird look. But Percy doesn't care. He's too caught up in his perfect idea.

**Do you guys think my story would be better in a different point of view? Uncle Ricki does his past tense-ish, I know, and I guess I could try that.**

**But would you guys want first person POV? It would still have the POVs of everyone, but with I and me and all that good stuff. I always felt that first person POV helps you get more into the story. And I'm better at writing it, so. Yeah. **

**If you guys don't want me to, I get it. It's not like Ricki's style of writing. But remember, this isn't the actual Blood of Olympus. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN.**__**You never know. It could be bunches better in first person POV.**


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